1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
there was a period of primal idealism after the founding of the republic and before the rise of partisan politics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primal
Shakespeare’s fierce and primal tragedy follows the celebrated warrior who knows how to conquer enemies but not how to win hearts.
—
Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2026
Cumming then invited everyone in attendance to join him in a collective primal scream at world events.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Feb. 2026
Perhaps there’s no such thing as perfect when a film’s emotional scope is so ambitious and so primal, all at once.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Dog Day Afternoon is the third rail of male love and loneliness—a primal scream from the sweltering streets of a stone broke New York City.
—Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2026
Cumming then invited everyone in attendance to join him in a collective primal scream at world events.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Feb. 2026
Perhaps there’s no such thing as perfect when a film’s emotional scope is so ambitious and so primal, all at once.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
Dog Day Afternoon is the third rail of male love and loneliness—a primal scream from the sweltering streets of a stone broke New York City.
—Jenny Lumet, Vanity Fair, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
-
The rooms There are a dozen entry-level rooms in the curvy main building, and several outrageously large residences and villas right on the beach.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
For the tribe, its main objective is to repatriate the remains of their ancestors — a process that often involves gathering the remains and artifacts and burying them together in a spot on the site that cannot be disturbed.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But this modern approach is teamed with ancient medicinal practices and a holistic, full-circle philosophy.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Passover is a major Jewish holiday commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For example, synthetic blastoids develop a blastocoel cavity and the three main cell types (epiblast, trophectoderm, and primitive endoderm) within one week, just like natural blastocysts.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
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There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Even the more politically active class of nonprofits — 501(c)(4) groups, like the relatively new American Hunters and Anglers — can’t make political activity its primary activity.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
3 Apr. 2026
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Last year, six people ran for Sacramento mayor and no one got more than 30% of the vote during the primary election.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This 50-square-mile crescent in the Pacific has the southernmost coral reef in the world and a wealth of wilderness walks that include everything from primeval banyan forests to endangered ground-dwelling birds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Dec. 2025
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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California Time slows to a primeval pace in the sequoia groves that make up Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where arboreal giants have watched the seasons come and go for more than 2,000 years.—
Sarah L. Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
This is the faint thermal afterglow from some 380,000 years after the big bang that was unleashed when the hot, foglike plasma that filled the early universe cooled and cleared as primordial atomic nuclei bonded with free electrons.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
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In retrospect, taken collectively, much of McCarthy’s work as an actor, filmmaker and journalist hinges on the friendship motif — that primordial ache to belong, that yearning to be seen.—
Malina Saval,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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First, the predominant previous assessment of many pundits that Gulf states’ collective large investments in defense were prestige driven — as opposed to a necessity — has fallen flat on its face.—
Faisal J. Abbas,
semafor.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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But on the Facebook Just in Time Broadway fan group, which has 7,700 members and seems to be the locus of Groffie fandom, the predominant tone is warm, almost giddy.—
Alexandra Starr,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Created by Nikki Igol and Steven Chaiken, who worked together at the fashion magazine V in the early two-thousands, the place is stocked with vintage issues of Paper, Vogue, and more.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) released its latest forecast for the mosquito season, predicting a slow start before a spike in early July.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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