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
  • Bright rays mark material blasted outward by relatively recent impacts, while vast, dark lunar seas lie where basaltic lava flooded ancient craters.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
  • In one case this summer, water from a natural spring to the Palestinian village of Fasayil was illegally diverted to an ancient pool nearby.
    — Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • Prince figured out how to make primitive-sounding electronics feel human.
    — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
  • They’re rooted in a time and place that feels all too real, and this allows the monsters to parade their primitive might in a way that means something.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • Dance movies marvelously translate primal emotions into motion, the human body becoming a supple instrument deftly communicating the pain, ecstasy and confusion of being alive.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 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
  • Fossils of a prehistoric animal were uncovered at a SoCal construction site.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Think fewer flowers and more new prehistoric species named in your honor.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • Measurements of primordial deuterium, taken throughout the 21st century, tell cosmologists the density of particles like protons and neutrons with extreme precision.
    — Cara Giovanetti, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of primordial
Adjective
  • Precision packed into 33 pounds The satellites use the NEMO spacecraft platform, which has supported 11 earlier GHGSat missions.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • And the latest archaeoacoustic techniques show that even the world’s earliest architects understood this.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 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 3 Oct. 2026.

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