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: regarded as being outdated or outmoded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
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
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
The Biggest Gar Another living dinosaur, alligator gar are a prehistoric species and the largest members of the gar family.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
Church, who is 70 and known for his wild ideas, had been working on sequencing the prehistoric woolly mammoth’s genome since around 2008.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
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Alison Gregor, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
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
The Biggest Gar Another living dinosaur, alligator gar are a prehistoric species and the largest members of the gar family.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
Church, who is 70 and known for his wild ideas, had been working on sequencing the prehistoric woolly mammoth’s genome since around 2008.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 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 27 Feb. 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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