as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
primeval forests slowly disappearing as the climate changed
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Recent Examples of primeval
Goth, primeval décor is in the air, but this is an extreme case.
—
Jocelyn Silver, Architectural Digest, 13 Dec. 2024
Guests are encouraged to join excursions, both by boat to see the island’s beaches and coves, and by land to explore that primeval rain forest.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border opens on a wide shot of an endless stretch of trees — the densely forested, almost primeval zone marking the boundary between Belarus and Poland where much of the film will take place.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.
—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Jocelyn Silver, Architectural Digest, 13 Dec. 2024
Guests are encouraged to join excursions, both by boat to see the island’s beaches and coves, and by land to explore that primeval rain forest.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border opens on a wide shot of an endless stretch of trees — the densely forested, almost primeval zone marking the boundary between Belarus and Poland where much of the film will take place.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.
—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
Adjective
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Researchers in London recently uncovered a 2,000-year-old structure that once served as the hub of the bustling ancient city.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the plesiosaur is considered a successful marine predatory ancient species.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2025
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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The title track begins with pummeling percussion, then a primal cry from Juchniewicz.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
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Our thoughts untangle against its glow, lose the constraints of language, become primal.—
Murr Brewster,
The Christian Science Monitor,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Its reimagining acquires a true crime edge: as individual dinosaur remains unearthed by dinosaur hunters, thanks to cutting-edge science, experts work out how these prehistoric creatures lived, hunted, fought and died more accurately than ever before.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
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The Musée de Préhistoire de Terra Amata was built on a prehistoric site near the old port dating back 400,000 years.—
Alison Gregor,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The researchers simulated early Earth and how its primordial environment affected the color of the planet’s oceans.—
David Bressan,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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Runaway camels and primordial volcano tremors make for clumsy attempts at literary symbolism, but such details — combined with a tourist culture that seems frozen in the ’80s, and a Dascha Dauenhauer score rooted in classic noir — contribute to the feeling of a place unstuck in time.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Tax season continued its sluggish start into early February, but tax refunds continued to steadily roll out the door.—
Susan Tompor,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Gibson is an Australian woman who, in the early and mid-2010s, lied about her cancer diagnosis.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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