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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 primordial
Her analysis of dreams taps into a primordial function that night visions played in human society long before Freud showed up.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
Hayabusa2 successfully delivered pieces of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020, marking a triumph for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and for scientists waiting to study samples from a piece of the primordial solar system.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2025
At first the monolithic structure, resplendent with gauzy projections, suggests an iceberg slowly thawing, revealing remnants of the primordial world, beautiful feral creatures that leap and prowl.
—Karen D'souza, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
This was the first primordial whiff of our marshmallow dispute.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primordial
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025
Hayabusa2 successfully delivered pieces of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth in December 2020, marking a triumph for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and for scientists waiting to study samples from a piece of the primordial solar system.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2025
At first the monolithic structure, resplendent with gauzy projections, suggests an iceberg slowly thawing, revealing remnants of the primordial world, beautiful feral creatures that leap and prowl.
—Karen D'souza, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
This was the first primordial whiff of our marshmallow dispute.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primordial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primordial
Adjective
-
Drive around the island and catch glimpses of past civilizations: ancient fig trees propped up by wooden crutches; centuries-old windmills that look like giant antique flyswatters; stone walls built by the Moors during the Middle Ages that somehow still look new.—
Julia Chaplin,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2025
-
The photo highlights the relative youth of human civilization by showing a 2,500-year-old temple that is ancient by the yardstick of human lives, alongside the 4.5 billion-year-old disk of Earth's moon, which has watched over humanity since our ancestors emerged from the oceans.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
-
Grinderman formed in 2005 as a more raw and primal outlet for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—a sound more akin to Cave’s early post-punk project the Birthday Party.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
21 May 2025
-
Rayburn partners up with local sheriff Alice Gustafson (Annabelle Wallis) in a somber yet tumultuous pursuit of a killer who uses brutal traps and primal tactics.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
But in this primeval stage, nearly all of the potential Democratic candidates are discussing problems that have bedeviled their party for years: how to win back working-class voters, how aggressively to oppose President Trump and how to reach voters beyond the traditional news media.—
Lisa Lerer,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
-
Our own moon shows evidence of primeval tidal heating, too.—
Robin George Andrews,
Quanta Magazine,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The existence of any prehistoric apex predators in the islands of the Caribbean used to be doubted.—
Ashley Belanger – May 16,
ArsTechnica,
16 May 2025
-
The original show gave the prehistoric reptiles the nature documentary treatment, offering glimpses of a world that was ruled by dinosaurs millions of years ago through the magic of CGI and animatronics.—
Maira Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Skyrocketing prices might not be top of mind for many consumers this spring, especially in light of significantly lower gas prices at the pump in early May.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
-
Deadline is aware of at least two other accidents on Irlam’s watch that predate Michaels’ injury, including a similar incident on an earlier season of Game of Thrones.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primordial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primordial. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share