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
Preppy style—like its most notable modern progenitor, Ralph Lauren—is coded as all-American.
—
Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
Theosophy, or divine wisdom, was a progenitor of the New Age movement of the 20th century.
—Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2025
In Anne Rice lore, Akasha is known as the progenitor of all vampires.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
This scaffold contains microscopic channels filled with spinal neural progenitor cells, or sNPCs.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
Theosophy, or divine wisdom, was a progenitor of the New Age movement of the 20th century.
—Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2025
In Anne Rice lore, Akasha is known as the progenitor of all vampires.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
This scaffold contains microscopic channels filled with spinal neural progenitor cells, or sNPCs.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for progenitor
Noun
-
His tío was a babalao (a Santería priest) who could conjure a spirit known as an orixá that could then take the form of its targets’ ancestors.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
At Rokeby, museum interpreters explain how the Robinson's ancestors had become wealthy in part due to the slave trade, but were abolitionists in later generations.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
El Camello says his grandfather always had cars.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Named after his grandfather, the late master distiller Booker Noe, this blended whiskey changes with every release, and often highlights some very unusual components (bourbon made from brown rice, for example).—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In a social media video, Madi said her father's health declined in the months following an early-stage prostate cancer diagnosis.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The introduction was from my father, who was a friend of his in another lifetime.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/progenitor. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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