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
Florentine society had changed a good deal since the days of their illustrious ancestor; noble blood had in fact become something of a liability.
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 29 May 2025
One of these two lineages is the ancestor of the present-day strains, while the other strain re-emerged over centuries in Europe and went extinct by the early 19th century.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
The banjo itself was invented by our ancestors to bring us together as a spiritual community, stretching from those long gone, all the way to those who haven’t been born yet.
—Essence, 29 May 2025
While tree-dwelling sloths were out of reach to our ancestors, the large and slow ground animals would have made easy targets.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 29 May 2025
One of these two lineages is the ancestor of the present-day strains, while the other strain re-emerged over centuries in Europe and went extinct by the early 19th century.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
The banjo itself was invented by our ancestors to bring us together as a spiritual community, stretching from those long gone, all the way to those who haven’t been born yet.
—Essence, 29 May 2025
While tree-dwelling sloths were out of reach to our ancestors, the large and slow ground animals would have made easy targets.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
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Her grandfather believed that was untenable, Monica Church said, and instead sought compromise with mining groups, ranchers and others.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 June 2025
-
Princess Charlotte shares a close bond with her grandfather, King Charles.—
Greta Bjornson,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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The forerunner of today’s sleek MacBook laptops was the PowerBook.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 June 2025
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Frederick Ashton’s for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (the forerunner of the Royal Ballet) in 1952, with a resplendent Margot Fonteyn in the title role, put the ballet back into the mainstream repertory, though it wasn’t performed by the Royal from the mid-1960s to 2004.—
Roslyn Sulcas,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Dobbins cited his father, Lance, being a diehard Red Sox fan when explaining his disdain for the pinstripes.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2025
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My father, the eldest boy of their four children, left school at eight or nine to help earn money in his father’s absence.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
By World Health Organization (WHO) standards established in 1994, this designates a person as having osteopenia — often a precursor to osteoporosis.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
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Leverton said trends like western, cottagecore, Americana and conservative styles of dress, in general, were precursors to where things were the U.S. presidential election was heading last year.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Bears fans were led to believe Johnson’s predecessor, Matt Eberflus, was a disciplinarian.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
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Polis’ predecessor, now-U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, did so less often — in part because split control of the legislature’s chambers at times kept partisan measures from reaching the Democrat’s desk.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Kipyegon first tested concepts at the Nike research lab in Oregon and the team then sent her home with prototypes.—
Tim Newcomb,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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In 1994, Birkin sold the prototype at an auction for Association Solidarité Sida, a French AIDS charity.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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