granddaddy

variants also grandaddy
Definition of granddaddynext
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed the granddaddy of all English mystery novels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 granddaddy But for real chills and scares, the granddaddy The Blair Witch Project still is the crown jewel. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026 This ain’t your granddaddy’s Spud. Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 14 Jan. 2026 That surprise set at Glastonbury 2025, the grandaddy of European festival, was the ultimate test. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 11 Dec. 2025 Horror anthologies are a tradition in British cinema, and this collection of bite-sized frights is the granddaddy of them all. Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for granddaddy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for granddaddy
Noun
  • Williams had managed traditional Tex-Mex restaurants that were the forerunner of today’s Mercado Juarez Cafes.
    Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The camp is a program of the Woodcraft Rangers, founded by author and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose pioneering Woodcraft Rangers program was a forerunner to groups such as the Boy Scouts.
    Jessie Dax-Setkus, Oc Register, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Norman Wong, a descendant of Wong Kim Ark, poses for a portrait in front of a mural of his late ancestor, in San Francisco.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The Northern Cheyenne chief Little Wolf exemplified this resolve in the 1860s and ’70s, leading his people in many different battles to defend the North Country of his ancestors.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In March, state media reported that China arrested seven people in an operation targeting traffickers of fentanyl precursors, according to the Reuters news agency.
    CBS News, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The mission is a precursor to future Artemis launches that will rehearse rendezvous and docking maneuvers with the program's lunar landers, and eventually land astronauts on the lunar surface.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Granddaddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/granddaddy. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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