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
This ode to the United States’ national mammal includes the six-foot skull of an ancient bison ancestor, an immersive soundscape, multimedia elements and Native objects.
—
Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 15 May 2026
This is among the most universal pieces of advice from our ancestors.
—Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Muslim Americans too have claimed the couple as ancestors, forging a lineage in America that stretches back before the formation of the United States, an alluring story of American origins, belonging, and place within a national story that has largely rejected them.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
While underwater, Michael Philip Davenport, president of Underwater Adventure Seekers, was inspired to create art showing ancestors emerging from the monument.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 15 May 2026
This is among the most universal pieces of advice from our ancestors.
—Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Muslim Americans too have claimed the couple as ancestors, forging a lineage in America that stretches back before the formation of the United States, an alluring story of American origins, belonging, and place within a national story that has largely rejected them.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
While underwater, Michael Philip Davenport, president of Underwater Adventure Seekers, was inspired to create art showing ancestors emerging from the monument.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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The murder trial was the capstone to a remarkable fall from grace for the personal injury lawyer, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather served as the local prosecutor consecutively from 1920 to 2006.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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In November 2013, Scott Hopkins -- now 67 years old and a grandfather -- goes on trial for the murder of Janet Walsh in 1979.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Las Damas was founded in May 1948 and put on the Beachcomber’s Carnival, a forerunner of the Sunset Beach Art Festival, in July of that year.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
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The brand was also a forerunner with exclusive collaborations.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Wilson’s father was a Presbyterian minister, and Wilson read the Bible daily.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
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The backstory The property was built in 1835 as a private home for Sarah Lydia Robbins Howe, whose father Edward Hutchinson Robbins served as Massachusetts’ sixth lieutenant governor.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The filing was a precursor to what will surely be a defense request for sanctions, which could range from financial reimbursement for their clients’ legal fees and potentially against the individual prosecutors in the case.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
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Could these be precursors to output deals?—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Set roughly a year before its predecessor, Moulin tells the true story of Jean Moulin, the head of the French Resistance movement who posed as a civil servant by day.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
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But some of the retailers that ultimately replaced the general store have some features in common with their main street predecessors.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Noun
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What will be interesting to see is if this prototype display technology makes its way to the iPhone Fold later this year, but not the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which would be a major win for the Apple device and mitigate some of Samsung's early software advantage.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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The prototype system achieves motion-robust 3D tracking of mixed-reflectivity scenes at incredibly high frame rates.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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