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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancestor
This suggested that long ago, ancestors of these two groups hybridized.
—
Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 Aug. 2025
Under jus sanguinis, Polish citizenship can be handed down through your ancestors (including great-grandparents), but there are a few caveats.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2025
Exactly how our early ancestors could have reached the islands to begin with remains unknown.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
As living primates are now faced with present-day environmental challenges, seeing how their ancestors adapted to ancient climate changes can help conservationists better understand species survival and identify threats.
—New Atlas, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 Aug. 2025
Under jus sanguinis, Polish citizenship can be handed down through your ancestors (including great-grandparents), but there are a few caveats.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 10 Aug. 2025
Exactly how our early ancestors could have reached the islands to begin with remains unknown.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
As living primates are now faced with present-day environmental challenges, seeing how their ancestors adapted to ancient climate changes can help conservationists better understand species survival and identify threats.
—New Atlas, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Photos from Kaela Leone's TikTok video of her sister and grandfather meeting for her wedding.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
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The fiddle resting on his shoulder belonged to his great, great grandfather and dates to around 1900.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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German missile designers launched their V2 rocket for the first time—the forerunner of the ICBM that would blitz the United Kingdom—and Berlin’s Luftwaffe dominated European skies.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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His band may be forerunners in this respect, but Allen recognizes that the attention is paying off for all of his Alabama contemporaries.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
28 June 2025
Noun
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Afraid of Sarah’s father discovering the truth, Sitti and Janna push themselves to the limit, determined to uncover why Sarah vanished.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
25 Aug. 2025
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When his father is killed, Chihiro takes one of the swords for himself and begins methodically hunting the murderers down.—
Matt Alt,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This may be a precursor to Apple introducing smart glasses.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 Aug. 2025
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These types of civil demands are typically a precursor to litigation, which Rokita has floated as a possibility.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Despite these challenges, Art SG and its predecessors have drawn attention to Singapore’s efforts to cultivate a vibrant art scene.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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What Tehran saw was continuity; Biden, like his predecessor, wanted regime change in Iran.—
Vali Nasr,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The truck prototype was powered by a 1060cc (65-cu-in) four-stroke with two vertical cylinders and Daimler’s patented hot-tube ignition.—
Ian Baker
August 24,
New Atlas,
24 Aug. 2025
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The uncrewed Starship prototype will follow a similar flight plan to the lastthree missions and aim to complete test objectives left untried during those tests, all of which ended prematurely.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
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