ATAVISTIC Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

atavistic

adjective

Definition of atavistic

as in archaic

formal very primitive

—used to describe feelings or qualities that human beings have had from the earliest times atavistic instincts reverting to atavistic behavior

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of atavistic To dismiss animism as ignorant, superstitious, or atavistic is to partake in modern parochialism, and this serves the interests of those who, like the tree’s killers, delight in destroying life. — Colin Cepuran, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically. — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025 Rather than conjuring a mood of bracing inexorability, this linear focus only suffocates what might be an interesting debate, as a man of the modern world weighs his values against those of a woman raised in atavistic isolation. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 The experts think fiat money is mature and serious and the gold standard cranky, weird, and atavistic. — Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavistic

Adjective

Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.

— Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
Not that Georgian masculinity, with its macho, bellicose posturing and archaic codes of honor, is portrayed as anything other than fumbling and futile.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

Annals are historical records arranged by year; the clue leverages the entry’s singular form to misdirect us.

— Sean McGowan, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Although robust buyer demand briefly drove yields down to session lows following the auction, yield levels above 5% remain substantially higher than the historical norm over the past decade.

— , CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

Hiller plays Aldrict, an old-world vampire who has crossed paths with Liz several times over the centuries and is a bit of a troublemaker.

— Peter White, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Her own furnishings and finishes are elegant and, not unlike her paintings, old-world but not old-fashioned.

— Kim Velsey, Curbed, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of old-world

Adjective

Personally, this idea that the woke nonsense is just an outmoded relic of the past is ridiculous.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026
If outmoded office buildings end up becoming once again viable as office buildings, Berman’s thesis could end up becoming a casualty of its own transformational success.

— Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

This decline is often captured sentimentally in memoirs about the Jewish South of a bygone era or photographs of Jewish cemeteries in various states of disrepair.

— Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Their work here evokes the grubby, pixellated textures and the seedy-dreamy ambience of a bygone trash-TV era.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

Adopting techniques from classic-Hollywood style, cinematographers dusted off antiquated equipment, using tungsten bulbs instead of LEDs to create the low-key contrasts typical of the genre.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Furthermore, its green monochrome display will likely feel antiquated once full-color waveguide tech matures.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

The series follows the Canadian team’s historic run to the World Cup final, where they were ultimately toppled by host country England, going down 33-13 in front of a sellout crowd of 82,000 at Twickenham Stadium in South West London.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
America was shoddy caulk oozing from a vinyl arc in a historic heatwave.

— Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026