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primeval

adjective

prī-ˈmē-vəl How to pronounce primeval (audio)
Definition of primevalnext
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period primeval forests slowly disappearing as the climate changed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of primeval The fragrance that wafts from the dish when the lid is lifted heightens the anticipation, the nose being the first point of entry and the most primeval of our senses. — Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026 The landscape of Rapa Nui probably never incorporated the sort of primeval forest of palm trees imagined in popular accounts, Pitts writes, but was more mixed, and scrubbier, with no one species of charismatic megaflora dominating. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 Astrophysicists now believe that this nebulous stuff is a stellar incubator; the primeval chaos from which star formation is presently underway. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2026 Instead, the franchise has been retooled for this brutal and bleak moment, further weaponizing desperation at a time when competition already feels omnipresent and almost primeval. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
  1. ancient
  2. primitive
  3. primal
  4. prehistoric
  5. primordial
  6. early
Adjective
  • Researchers have found evidence that ancient humans chewed on betel nuts, a stimulant still widely used today.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The discovery of the tooth, which belonged to an ancient Pacific mastodon, was announced by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) in San Mateo County, California.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • Yet, the oxygen isotopes in these primitive samples remained virtually untouched by parent-body alteration.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • This confident hybrid of live action and animation is unapologetically primitive and loose.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • Palate-cleansing, complex, but also leaving an urge for a more primal satisfaction.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Jefferson’s relationship with Hemings is a primal scene in the national imagination.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of primal
Adjective
  • The cave had effectively served as a prehistoric rest and maintenance station.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Robert Eagle, a co-author of the study and a geobiologist at University of California, Los Angeles, pioneered this approach to measuring prehistoric body temperatures.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • Planting fake dark matter signals There are several candidates for what dark matter could be, including primordial black holes or an undiscovered particle.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Dark stars are hypothetical primordial stars that, rather than producing energy through nuclear fusion, are instead powered by self-annihilating dark matter within their cores.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of primordial
Adjective
  • Gray praised the producers and actors who helped bring the film to life and reflected on his early dreams of being a filmmaker.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The stage musical based on one of the biggest movies ever made in Connecticut finally makes it here on a national tour and an earlier tour was canceled.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of early

Browse Nearby Words

primes
primeval
priming
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Cite this Entry

“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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