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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Recent Examples of progenitor
That’s the newest creation from these savvy sugar slingers and, as the name suggests, the cookies are a play on s’mores, though Rocky Road ice cream is the direct progenitor, according to the Girl Scouts.
—
Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
There is an academy outside Santo Domingo named after Felipe Alou, the pioneering progenitor of the first family of Dominican baseball.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Mamdani was born in Uganda to Indian parents, and Duwaji in Texas to Syrian Muslim progenitors.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Jan. 2026
Skye and Billy’s progenitors, by contrast, are revealed to have been free-spirited and independent-minded people who simply left out lots of their complicated, peripatetic story.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
There is an academy outside Santo Domingo named after Felipe Alou, the pioneering progenitor of the first family of Dominican baseball.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Mamdani was born in Uganda to Indian parents, and Duwaji in Texas to Syrian Muslim progenitors.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Jan. 2026
Skye and Billy’s progenitors, by contrast, are revealed to have been free-spirited and independent-minded people who simply left out lots of their complicated, peripatetic story.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for progenitor
Noun
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Intelligent, tool-using species — including our direct ancestors — have been around for millions of years.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
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Uncovering an ancient ancestor At first, scientists thought the ancient microbial ancestor of complex life was a simple cell, dwelling in oxygen-free environments.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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My grandfather was a prominent psychoanalyst, one of the founders of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago.—
Debra Manetta,
STAT,
26 Feb. 2026
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Oyster House has been run by the Mink family since 1947, when Sam's grandfather bought the business.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Koy, the son of a white father and Filipina mother, saw comedy as a way to channel an overactive personality and need to make people laugh into a career.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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The poll surveyed 977 caregivers of children 13 and younger, including 53% biological mothers and 33% biological fathers, with the remaining participants including stepparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/progenitor. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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