1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
there was a period of primal idealism after the founding of the republic and before the rise of partisan politics
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Recent Examples of primal
Generally, the drama does spectacularly well with abiding by a primal sense of magical realism — the finding of wonderment in the banal and the insertion of banality into the wondrous.
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Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
In the final moments, Mother gives birth to a baby girl in her living room, letting out a primal scream before the credits roll.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
As violent as a typical NFL game is — the proverbial car crash on every play — Ravens-Steelers tapped into something more primal.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
Since the first Disney feature animation in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, these songs have taken on a myriad of forms, from silly tunes about cleaning up to dramatic ballads concerning a primal human need for something more.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primal 
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
In the final moments, Mother gives birth to a baby girl in her living room, letting out a primal scream before the credits roll.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
As violent as a typical NFL game is — the proverbial car crash on every play — Ravens-Steelers tapped into something more primal.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024
Since the first Disney feature animation in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, these songs have taken on a myriad of forms, from silly tunes about cleaning up to dramatic ballads concerning a primal human need for something more.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
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Fertilizers are made up of three main nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).Charlotte Minnick, Hartford Courant, 20 Dec. 2024
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Still, their price is far from their main selling point: The Summits have an easy slip-on design with elastic laces, a breathable memory foam insole, and over 1,700 five-star reviews on Skechers’s site.Sara Coughlin, SELF, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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These microscopic fragments of ancient plants were found beneath the floor of a Mayan ballcourt in present day Mexico and collecting them was likely purposeful.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
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Its design is inspired by ancient Sun worship, as well as watchtowers that were once used to warn Chinese Emperors of seaborne attacks, and its curving form has been constructed from two layers of slanted concrete shells that echo the sound of the waves.Adam Williams, New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.OregonLive.com, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017
Adjective
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Nikki Haley withdraws from the Republican nomination race after Donald Trump racks up primary victories on Super Tuesday.The Week UK, theweek, 25 Dec. 2024
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Townsend’s departure had a double impact on the Knights, who missed his abilities as a receiver and as the team’s primary kick returner on special teams.Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Yakushima Island, located 37 miles south from the southern tip of Kyushu Island, is home to a primeval temperate rainforest with thousand-year-old cedar trees, known as yakusugi.Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024
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Goth, primeval décor is in the air, but this is an extreme case.Jocelyn Silver, Architectural Digest, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This is all mirrored by wordless sequences depicting the Simpson family’s prehistoric ancestors, rendered in an entirely different animation style that calls to mind cave etchings, as well as primordial Simpsons designs.Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
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The team also modeled what a primordial black hole would do to a planet with a liquid core.Michael Irving, New Atlas, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Chin-Hong said there are two predominant strains of the virus circulating: H1N1 and H3N2, with the latter virus associated with more severe disease, which may be causing the surges of hospitalizations abroad.Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
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That’s the predominant note for the first couple tastes, before the whisky gradually opens up into freshly baked bread, vanilla glaze, and Hawaiian sweet rolls.David Thomas Tao, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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These are prehistoric mammal relatives that lived during the Permian period (around 299-252 million years ago) of Earth's history.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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Today, the caverns hold evidence of both the Maya and the people who inhabited the region before them, as well as the fossils of prehistoric megafauna.Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near primal
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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