as in grandmother
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Recent Examples of ancestress
Meanwhile, Alice, Dana’s ancestress, never becomes much more than a moral quandary: a stubborn victim who is unable to adapt.
—
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2021
Yang Asha is the mythical ancestress of the Miao people, an ethnic minority in China closely related to the Hmong of Southeast Asia.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2020
His own mother, aged ninety, who remembered her aunt, had been able to share stories of their ancestress with the grandchildren who’d had no idea, before now, what their background might be.
—Susan Choi, Harper's magazine, 6 Jan. 2020
Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan’s emperors.
—Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2019
Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan's emperors.
—NBC News, 22 Oct. 2019
The intersection of these two facts does convince me that William's genealogical ancestress, Eliza Kewark, did have South Asian ancestry (not totally surprising even in notionally ethnically distinct groups like Armenians or Parsis who have been long resident in India).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2013
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2021
Yang Asha is the mythical ancestress of the Miao people, an ethnic minority in China closely related to the Hmong of Southeast Asia.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2020
His own mother, aged ninety, who remembered her aunt, had been able to share stories of their ancestress with the grandchildren who’d had no idea, before now, what their background might be.
—Susan Choi, Harper's magazine, 6 Jan. 2020
Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan’s emperors.
—Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2019
Enshrined at Kashikodokoro is the sun goddess Amaterasu, the mythological ancestress of Japan's emperors.
—NBC News, 22 Oct. 2019
The intersection of these two facts does convince me that William's genealogical ancestress, Eliza Kewark, did have South Asian ancestry (not totally surprising even in notionally ethnically distinct groups like Armenians or Parsis who have been long resident in India).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestress
Noun
-
The book is described in promotional materials as providing vivid portraits of the lives of her mother, Farah Arvand, and her grandmother, princess Ashraf Palavi, sister of the last shah of Iran.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
17 May 2026
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At that point, the family sent photos of the boy to his 87-year-old great-grandmother.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Noun
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The indomitable matriarch Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) is typically considered the villain of this American epic.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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The film is set in a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, where Pirati is the matriarch of a Kinnar community.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Durglo is inextricably tied to this landscape; his ancestors have lived on this land for centuries.—
Ellis Juhlin,
NPR,
18 May 2026
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The Barkindji people have shown this small, elderly dingo the same care their ancestors did.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Its story of five girls — all navigating preteenagerdom under the stewardship of their tragically well-meaning white dads — stands firmly on its own legs, even staring down some of its progenitors.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
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Cochran gave Bradley credit for that London show and many more that followed, putting him together with Noël Coward, the young George Balanchine, and the man who would become the foremost progenitor of ballet in Britain, Frederick Ashton.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Through our hair and its many rituals, remain the herbalism of our foremothers in the new world, passing down their ingenuity of homemade balms, creams, and oils for hair growth.—
Eshe Ukweli,
refinery29.com,
7 June 2023
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In fact, precursors to modern bleaching processes didn’t come on the scene until the turn of the 20th century, leaving our foremothers and forefathers plenty of time to get creative with their blonde pursuits.—
AJ Willingham,
CNN,
28 May 2023
Noun
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Located where a Thompson Hotel once operated, 1 Hotel Toronto couldn’t be more distinct aesthetically from its retro-modern forebear.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
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Generations of Irish schoolchildren studied the language of their forebears.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestress. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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