1
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
Bridie's Irish ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 19th century during the Great Potato Famine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
pinball machines—the ancestors of today's video games—go back to the 19th century
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 ancestor
Well, like celebrants of Halloween dress up, the Celts would prepare offerings for their ancestors and fairies, or Sidhs, during Samhain.
—
Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 31 Oct. 2024
John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough and an ancestor of Winston’s, drew his sword to protect the prince from the panicking crowd, and Samuel Pepys, the celebrated diarist and Royal Navy administrator, witnessed the sinking.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
How brujas use spirituality to honor the ancestors on Día de Muertos.
—Christian Orozco, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Festival of Altars Build an altar to honor an ancestor or participate in honoring others' at this Day of the Dead event.
—Shawna Chen, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ancestor 
Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 31 Oct. 2024
John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough and an ancestor of Winston’s, drew his sword to protect the prince from the panicking crowd, and Samuel Pepys, the celebrated diarist and Royal Navy administrator, witnessed the sinking.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
How brujas use spirituality to honor the ancestors on Día de Muertos.
—Christian Orozco, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Festival of Altars Build an altar to honor an ancestor or participate in honoring others' at this Day of the Dead event.
—Shawna Chen, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
-
Rust tells the story of a 13-year-old boy (Patrick Scott McDermott) who accidentally kills a rancher in 1880s Wyoming and goes on the run with his grandfather, played by Baldwin as the title character, Harland Rust.Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
-
The film tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after he’s sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.Zac Ntim, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Embrace change, become a forerunner and refuse to let emotional interference deter productivity.Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
-
Some Latin American nations are now even forerunners in the global struggle for LGBT equality.Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2016
Noun
-
Brown's father told the media outlet his son's donation saved four lives.Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
-
Robert is a conservationist and zookeeper just like his father, who was killed by a stingray at age 44 when Robert was just 2 years old in 2006.Rachel DeSantis, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Macht’s stint is a guest arc and is not a precursor to him potentially joining Suits LA full-time.Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
-
Disney is already planning to launch a standalone subscription streaming service featuring all of ESPN next year that may be a precursor to a spinoff of the sports giant.David Bloom, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Thanks to Total Harmonic Distortion Compensation, the iFi GO link Max delivers a purer and less distorted sound than its predecessor.Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
-
Yet running the National is a job that has taxed her six predecessors—all of them white men, four of them educated at Cambridge.Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
So at the Barclay Hotel in New York City, Evans presented prototypes the pair had been developing, among them, the now-iconic Lounge Chair Wood or the LCW.Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 25 Nov. 2024
-
According to the tech brand, the bendy prototype can be safely stretched 10,000 times, even when exposed to extreme temperatures, without any distortion to its display.Martin Lerma, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ancestor
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share