GRANDFATHER Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

grandfather

noun

ˈgran(d)-ˌfä-t͟hər

Definition of grandfather

as in father

a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent this tradition has been passed down from our pioneer grandfathers

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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 grandfather This lineage includes his great-grandfather and his grandfather, but not really his parents. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 Released hostages Agam Berger, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Bar Kupershtein and Evyatar David attended the event, along with Bar’s grandfather, Holocaust survivor Michael Kupershtein. — Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Pi-o plays the recording for him, finally winning his grandfather’s approval. — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 What might seem to be individual trauma is revealed to be, like the grandfather’s history of wartime displacement and loss with which the book begins, generational trauma. — Garth Greenwell, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grandfather

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandfather

Noun

Ellison clinched the deal by sweetening the offer price and bringing his father, Larry Ellison, in to personally guarantee funding.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Gyllenhaal’s father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, is a director and her mother, Naomi Foner, a screenwriter.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

Noun

The discovery led to a complete redesign of the project, shifting the hotel inland to preserve the sacred site and honor the ancestors who remain there.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
The small, troubled Trask family represents isolation, generational trauma and dysfunctional cycles in contrast to the large, loving and morally grounded Hamilton family, who are modeled after Steinbeck’s own maternal ancestors.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestor

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grandeur

grandfather

grandfather clock

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“Grandfather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandfather. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grandfather

noun

Example Sentences

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