ancestral

adjective

an·​ces·​tral an-ˈse-strəl 

: of, relating to, or inherited from an ancestor

ancestral estates

ancestrally

an-ˈse-strə-lē 

adverb

Examples of ancestral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But what her father left out of his memoir and Duong captured in her film was the untold torment of Ba leaving his mother, Nguyen Thị Bay, or grandmother Ba Noi, and close relatives behind in their ancestral village in Vietnam. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

This absence drives Shimoda to unearth historical records like FBI files; to visit Manzanar, the concentration camp his grandfather was sent to in Missouri; and to travel to his grandfather’s ancestral homeland in Japan. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

These genomes should reflect the full sequence of both chromosome copies and the diversity of the global population, rather than relying on one person or one ancestral group as a universal standard. — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

The Karuk Tribe manages land along the Klamath River, its ancestral territory for thousands of years. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ancestral

• ancestral Pueblo
• ancestral Puebloan

Rhymes for ancestral

• orchestral
• kestrel

Kids Definition

ancestral

adjective

an·​ces·​tral an-ˈses-trəl 

: of, relating to, or developed from an ancestor

ancestral home

ancestrally

-trə-lē 

adverb