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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ancestor
The harvests became community events where younger tribal members learned how their ancestors butchered and used the buffalo.
—
Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 28 May 2025
Smaller shark species such as requiem sharks and ancestors of today’s cetaceans, dolphins and whales, were next.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Porter County Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs noted his ancestors were among the first white settlers in the county in 1835, at a settlement a few hundred feet from the site.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Moringa oleifera is native to Indian subcontinent, particularly the Himalayan foothills, while another species, Moringa stenopetala, grows in the Horn of Africa: southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and even Somalia, where Elba’s ancestors are from.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 28 May 2025
Smaller shark species such as requiem sharks and ancestors of today’s cetaceans, dolphins and whales, were next.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Porter County Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs noted his ancestors were among the first white settlers in the county in 1835, at a settlement a few hundred feet from the site.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Moringa oleifera is native to Indian subcontinent, particularly the Himalayan foothills, while another species, Moringa stenopetala, grows in the Horn of Africa: southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and even Somalia, where Elba’s ancestors are from.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Even more breathtaking than Williams' entrance, though, was her brief scene beside the bed of Jen's dying grandfather, which would ultimately kick off the first of countless tearjerker moments peppered throughout the series.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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After his grandfather died a few years later, Pitsaev and his mom moved back to Chechnya.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 May 2025
Noun
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While his Late Night forerunner Letterman was probably the comedic polestar of Generation X—gruff, cynical, and biting the hand that fed—O’Brien became a bedrock influence for the next generation of Millennial comics.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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The New York Dolls were forerunners of punk, and the band's style -- teased hair, women's clothes and lots of makeup -- inspired the glam movement that took up residence in heavy metal a decade later in bands like Faster Pussycat and Mötley Crüe.—
MARK KENNEDY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The suspect’s father told us his son had a childhood obsession with pyrotechnics In an interview with my colleague Jenny Jarvie, the suspect’s estranged father, Richard Bartkus, said the boy, then 9, set his family’s Yucca Valley home on fire.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
21 May 2025
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In the early 1980s, before Will Harlan was born, his father, H. William (Bill) Harlan, was hiking in the mountains above Napa Valley and stumbled upon a hidden valley.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Tort claims are typically filed as precursors to a potential lawsuit.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
22 May 2025
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Gleason worked as a senior adviser to the U.S. Digital Service, the precursor to DOGE.—
Melissa Quinn
May 21,
CBS News,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Segura’s predecessor, Dana Tomarken, was abruptly fired in April of 2018 after 25 years with the Academy, resulting in her filing a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the Academy.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
27 May 2025
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Read more: The Meaning of Germany’s Dramatic Rearmament The shift marks a departure from Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, who had resisted sending long-range weaponry to Ukraine, citing fears of Russian escalation.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Google’s Project Mariner technology, which the company announced as a research prototype last year, will be able to accomplish certain tasks on a person’s behalf and answer questions that usually require multiple steps, the company claims.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
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Real Ice hopes to test a prototype this year, says co-CEO Andrea Ceccolini, an Italian computer scientist and investor who joined the company in 2022.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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