as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
all life on Earth supposedly came from a primordial ooze in existence many millions of years ago
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Recent Examples of primordial
Since much of that action takes place in clubs where dancing was primordial, the show can incorporate diegetic numbers that set your heart racing.
—
Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
After a 30-minute tug of war, finally seeing the bony plates of the prehistoric fish emerge from the murky depths of the Snake feels like uncovering the last surviving creature to slither out of the primordial ooze shortly after the Earth cooled.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Visitors to the La Brea Tar Pits are aware of the species’ role in the ecosystem of primordial Southern California, thanks to a wall at the museum displaying hundreds of dire wolf skulls extracted from the ooze.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
That’s because the five-to-ten-million-year window in time when this gas had such a primordial composition was so short.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for primordial
Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
After a 30-minute tug of war, finally seeing the bony plates of the prehistoric fish emerge from the murky depths of the Snake feels like uncovering the last surviving creature to slither out of the primordial ooze shortly after the Earth cooled.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Visitors to the La Brea Tar Pits are aware of the species’ role in the ecosystem of primordial Southern California, thanks to a wall at the museum displaying hundreds of dire wolf skulls extracted from the ooze.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
That’s because the five-to-ten-million-year window in time when this gas had such a primordial composition was so short.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for primordial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primordial
Adjective
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The Virtual Telescope Program has announced a livestream to mark World Asteroid Day on June 30, which will feature real-time views of near-Earth asteroids while discussing the characteristics and impact risks posed by the enigmatic chunks of ancient debris.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
30 June 2025
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Courtesy of David Bustos/White Sands National Park Using new radiocarbon dating on ancient footprints found preserved in the gypsum-rich ground in White Sands, researchers have now confirmed that humans roamed North America 23,000 years ago.—
Jay Kakade
June 30,
New Atlas,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
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He was also helped by film composer John Williams’ memorable two-note motif in the Jaws soundtrack that fed into primal fears about unseen predators being afoot and approaching.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
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Two simple notes – E and F – have become synonymous with tension, fear and sharks, representing the primal dread of being stalked by a predator.—
Jared Bahir Browsh,
The Conversation,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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As for the chthonic powers who might intrude upon us, the worst must be the Titans, primeval offspring of Gaia and Uranus, Earth and Sky.—
Lewis Hyde,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
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The limp is the primeval sign, in many cultural myth systems, of autochthony: humans born from the earth, parentless.—
Nicholas Dames,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Director Gareth Edwards and screenwriter David Koepp give EW the inside scoop on creating these prehistoric monsters.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
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Overall, the graves have slowly revealed new clues about the prehistoric society that lived in the region thousands of years ago.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
7 July 2025
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The flooding began with a catastrophic storm that dropped 12 inches of rain in the early morning hours Friday, primarily between midnight and dawn.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primordial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primordial. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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