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
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Recent Examples of ancestor
Natural navigation reconnects us with a deep, intuitive way of seeing the world that our ancestors excelled at.
—
Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
Soften your gaze into a bowl of water or a mirror to cross the veil and invite messages from ancestors or spirit allies, trusting any sensations or symbols that emerge.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Delas 2020 Francois de Tournon Saint-Joseph Brothers Henri and Florentin Delas took over the company started by their ancestors in 1835 and renamed it Delas Freres in 1924.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025
That helped our ancestors survive in the Savannah.
—Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
Soften your gaze into a bowl of water or a mirror to cross the veil and invite messages from ancestors or spirit allies, trusting any sensations or symbols that emerge.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Delas 2020 Francois de Tournon Saint-Joseph Brothers Henri and Florentin Delas took over the company started by their ancestors in 1835 and renamed it Delas Freres in 1924.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025
That helped our ancestors survive in the Savannah.
—Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Smith and Christian’s respective grandfathers were their catalysts into vintage fashion.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
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After his mother’s death, he was sent to study Urdu and Islamic calligraphy at his grandfather’s madrassa in Sidhpur, Gujarat.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The investor and industrialist Andrew Mellon enjoyed a lengthy tenure as Treasury secretary—a forerunner to Trump’s Treasury appointees, Steven Mnuchin and Scott Bessent, both of them recruited straight from Wall Street.—
Evan Hughes,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
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Half of those tested had osteoporosis or a forerunner condition, osteopenia.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The topic of nepotism came up in a new interview with Skarsgård in Vulture, when the outlet pointed out that many of his eight children — including Bill, Alexander, and Gustaf — have become actors like their father.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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Unless another boy was injured, a boy with a father who resembled me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This monster is the precursor to slasher villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, who lumber along on their killing sprees, though this blueprint is far more sympathetic.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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It is then converted into acetic acid, a key methane precursor.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And so the conflict between love, on one side, and faith, family, and tradition reignites, in a season that retraces the arc of its predecessor—and especially its finale—a bit too closely.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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One of his predecessors, Max Allegri, used to say there are categories of coaches.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There’s even a design echo between the nomadic Mongolian ger — the traditional felt tent sometimes referred to as yurts — and the Martian dome prototypes being developed by the MARS-V engineering team.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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Hybrid systems combining desalination plants and advanced biomimetic membranes overcome the cost and performance constraints that limited previous efforts, including Statkraft’s 2009 prototype.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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