prehistoric
adjective
pre·his·tor·ic
ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik 
-ˈstär-
variants
or less commonly prehistorical
ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-i-kəl
-ˈstär-
1
: of, relating to, or existing in times antedating written history
2
: of or relating to a language in a period of its development from which contemporary records of its sounds and forms have not been preserved
3
: regarded as being outdated or outmoded
prehistoric attitudes
Examples of prehistoric in a Sentence
His attitudes about women are downright prehistoric.
prehistoric notions about mental illness that have no place in today's world
Recent Examples on the Web
Set five years after Jurassic World: Dominion, the movie sees an expedition brave isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 18 June 2025
Humans, therefore, are assumed to be inherently tribal because of our prehistoric ancestors.
—Dr. Rami Kaminski, Time, 18 June 2025
The water here was completely devoid of oxygen, but the land around the lake held prehistoric life.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
And the framing device involving prehistoric cave dwellers should have been left on the cutting room floor.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
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show current usage.
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Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 18 June 2025
Humans, therefore, are assumed to be inherently tribal because of our prehistoric ancestors.
—Dr. Rami Kaminski, Time, 18 June 2025
The water here was completely devoid of oxygen, but the land around the lake held prehistoric life.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
And the framing device involving prehistoric cave dwellers should have been left on the cutting room floor.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
Cite this Entry
“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prehistoric. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prehistoric
adjective
pre·his·tor·ic
ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtȯr-ik
-ˈtär-
: of, relating to, or existing in times before written history
prehistoric animals
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