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
Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border opens on a wide shot of an endless stretch of trees — the densely forested, almost primeval zone marking the boundary between Belarus and Poland where much of the film will take place.
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.
—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
Minervini is interested in the primeval aspects of American history — not the cultural force that John Huston captured in his adaptation of Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 Oct. 2024
The call had lost all its musical quality and was now the wail of some primeval beast.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primeval 
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.
—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
Minervini is interested in the primeval aspects of American history — not the cultural force that John Huston captured in his adaptation of Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage.
—Armond White, National Review, 2 Oct. 2024
The call had lost all its musical quality and was now the wail of some primeval beast.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
Adjective
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As in the novel the story is based on, the events kick off with the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which was a revolt during the late Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China.Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
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Met Gala to a dusty archaeological dig in 1930s Egypt in this masterful historical mystery centering on a cursed ancient artifact.Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
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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The fear of being next on the social media chopping block prevents us from admitting our ugly insecurities, our primal urges, or our more taboo thoughts.Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2024
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But longtime plunge aficionados say the allure often boils down to one primal need: community.Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Studies involving these prehistoric creatures often rely on teeth above all else; a durable enamel coating helps teeth fossilize reliably, although enamel thickness differs among dinosaur species.Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 1 Jan. 2025
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Of course, there is no direct information on prehistoric fighting styles, so van Dijk and Mors relied on basic biomechanics of combat movements with similar weapons detailed in historic manuals.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There is a primordial quality to the woods that oscillates between cacophonous forest chatter and eerie silence in the space of a ridge or two.Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 2 Jan. 2025
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Unfortunately, the primary object of Eggers’s vampire’s attention, Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen Hutter, is a victim of a destiny foretold (a scenario that recurs throughout all of Eggers’s films, which strive to push modern, secular mindsets away and immerse viewers in primordial, irrational fears).Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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And in the early, idealistic years of the folk revival, Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers (who died in 2009) strummed and harmonized their way toward that conscientious balance of folk and pop.Jon Pareles, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
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That said, Carvana’s debt restructuring initiative implemented in early 2023 played a pivotal factor in the company’s recovery, with its stock increasing ~40-fold over two years.Trefis Team, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near primeval
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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