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
The call had lost all its musical quality and was now the wail of some primeval beast.
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Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024
Shorter hikes penetrate the primeval rocky outcrops of Giant City and Garden of the Gods.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024
But what about when it was approved by leaders of the Royal Air Force?
From Mud to the Sun: The World Tree of the Maya
Cosmic trees, found around the globe and throughout history, may represent a primeval fount of creation or a vegetal axis mundi that connects life and death.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
Above all, Holland’s work has always led her to Poland—and specifically to Poland’s forests, which in her hands become a primeval landscape of terror and enchantment, wreathed in mists of historical memory that her camera has a peculiar ability to both evoke and dissipate.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for primeval 
Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024
Shorter hikes penetrate the primeval rocky outcrops of Giant City and Garden of the Gods.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2024
But what about when it was approved by leaders of the Royal Air Force?
From Mud to the Sun: The World Tree of the Maya
Cosmic trees, found around the globe and throughout history, may represent a primeval fount of creation or a vegetal axis mundi that connects life and death.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
Above all, Holland’s work has always led her to Poland—and specifically to Poland’s forests, which in her hands become a primeval landscape of terror and enchantment, wreathed in mists of historical memory that her camera has a peculiar ability to both evoke and dissipate.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
Adjective
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Last year, an ancient, still-active volcano was found off the Canadian coast, covered in millions of giant eggs laid by Pacific white skates (a hauntingly beautiful cartilaginous fish that looks like a stingray).Scott Travers, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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The area buzzes with shops, restaurants, and landmarks such as the Mayan Museum of Cancun, with exhibitions showcasing ancient Mayan history and art and the adjacent San Miguelito Archeological Site of Mayan ruins.Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2024
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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Generally, the drama does spectacularly well with abiding by a primal sense of magical realism — the finding of wonderment in the banal and the insertion of banality into the wondrous.Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024
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In the final moments, Mother gives birth to a baby girl in her living room, letting out a primal scream before the credits roll.Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Four of these teeth, now kept in a museum, were uncovered by quarryman Dave Brockhurst, who has collected thousands of fossil specimens of various prehistoric animals from the Ashdown Brickworks over the past three decades or so.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
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According to the team, this combination of a variety of materials and advanced building techniques redefines the current understanding of the technologies prehistoric communities used.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The team also modeled what a primordial black hole would do to a planet with a liquid core.Michael Irving, New Atlas, 5 Dec. 2024
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So they were brought together in the smell of all primordial velvets.Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Browns’ defense played well early Sunday — the Steelers went three-and-out on four of their first five possessions.Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024
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In an earlier scene while dancing with Monica, Kayce tells her that his plan differs from his sister's.Chris Barilla, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near primeval
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
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