as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
the progenitors of today's Maya once ruled a mighty empire that stretched across much of Central America
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of progenitor
This scaffold contains microscopic channels filled with spinal neural progenitor cells, or sNPCs.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
The progenitor of the famous phrase shot a 63 here on a sunny spring day in 2009.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
For all its modern flourishes, Delta is hindered by slavishly adhering to the core gameplay of its 2004 progenitor.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
The show, one of the first of its kind, made Osbourne more famous than his music career ever had and was a surreal legacy for the heavy-metal progenitor.
—Matthew Schnipper, Vulture, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
The progenitor of the famous phrase shot a 63 here on a sunny spring day in 2009.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
For all its modern flourishes, Delta is hindered by slavishly adhering to the core gameplay of its 2004 progenitor.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
The show, one of the first of its kind, made Osbourne more famous than his music career ever had and was a surreal legacy for the heavy-metal progenitor.
—Matthew Schnipper, Vulture, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for progenitor
Noun
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One theory points to Buddhist monks, who would light lanterns on the 15th day of the holiday to honor Buddha—an act that evolved into a way for families to pay tribute to ancestors.—
Sarah Buder,
AFAR Media,
20 Oct. 2025
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First Alert 4 reported that this counterfeit note was marked as ancestor money, a symbolic bill burned as a ritual offering in Chinese culture.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Smith and Christian’s respective grandfathers were their catalysts into vintage fashion.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
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After his mother’s death, he was sent to study Urdu and Islamic calligraphy at his grandfather’s madrassa in Sidhpur, Gujarat.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The topic of nepotism came up in a new interview with Skarsgård in Vulture, when the outlet pointed out that many of his eight children — including Bill, Alexander, and Gustaf — have become actors like their father.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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Unless another boy was injured, a boy with a father who resembled me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/progenitor. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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