primeval

adjective

prī-ˈmē-vəl How to pronounce primeval (audio)
Definition of primevalnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 primeval The fragrance that wafts from the dish when the lid is lifted heightens the anticipation, the nose being the first point of entry and the most primeval of our senses. — Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026 The landscape of Rapa Nui probably never incorporated the sort of primeval forest of palm trees imagined in popular accounts, Pitts writes, but was more mixed, and scrubbier, with no one species of charismatic megaflora dominating. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 Astrophysicists now believe that this nebulous stuff is a stellar incubator; the primeval chaos from which star formation is presently underway. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2026 Instead, the franchise has been retooled for this brutal and bleak moment, further weaponizing desperation at a time when competition already feels omnipresent and almost primeval. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primeval
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primeval
  1. ancient
  2. primitive
  3. primal
  4. prehistoric
  5. primordial
  6. early
Adjective
  • Our research is already leading in new directions beyond ancient interiors.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • For scientists, the harder question has been how oxygen stayed abundant for millions of years afterward — long enough, as ancient rocks suggest, to set the stage for the emergence of increasingly complex life.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • When our skin senses heat, those signals travel to a primitive part of the brain that tells our body to cool down.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There’s a primitive part of our brains that still fears being eaten by something bigger than us.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • Dance movies marvelously translate primal emotions into motion, the human body becoming a supple instrument deftly communicating the pain, ecstasy and confusion of being alive.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Jefferson’s relationship with Hemings is a primal scene in the national imagination.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of primal
Adjective
  • Stroll through the woods and encounter prehistoric scenes, luminous flowers, lantern art and a host of mythical creatures.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Think fewer flowers and more new prehistoric species named in your honor.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • This would have been a primordial black hole (PBH), a hypothesized object formed in the universe’s earliest moments.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • So evolving from the ocean to the land, just like any primordial creature would.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of primordial
Adjective
  • Precision packed into 33 pounds The satellites use the NEMO spacecraft platform, which has supported 11 earlier GHGSat missions.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • And the latest archaeoacoustic techniques show that even the world’s earliest architects understood this.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of early

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primes
primeval
priming
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Cite this Entry

“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primeval. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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