as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
all life on Earth supposedly came from a primordial ooze in existence many millions of years ago
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Recent Examples of primordial
Unfortunately, the primary object of Eggers’s vampire’s attention, Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen Hutter, is a victim of a destiny foretold (a scenario that recurs throughout all of Eggers’s films, which strive to push modern, secular mindsets away and immerse viewers in primordial, irrational fears).
—
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024
Every play or two, someone else glanced askance from the bar, as if Cheers had been invaded by some primordial beast from the bottom of Boston Harbor.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 24 Dec. 2024
Assemblies of towering, primordial boulders mixed with lazuline waters and wide stretches of downy sands are features of this paradise.
—Paul Rubio, AFAR Media, 23 Dec. 2024
Are the primordial organic molecules in those clouds lost in the early days of a new solar system, blasted apart as young stars blaze to life?
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primordial 
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024
Every play or two, someone else glanced askance from the bar, as if Cheers had been invaded by some primordial beast from the bottom of Boston Harbor.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 24 Dec. 2024
Assemblies of towering, primordial boulders mixed with lazuline waters and wide stretches of downy sands are features of this paradise.
—Paul Rubio, AFAR Media, 23 Dec. 2024
Are the primordial organic molecules in those clouds lost in the early days of a new solar system, blasted apart as young stars blaze to life?
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primordial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primordial
Adjective
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California landslide appears to leave 3 multimillion-dollar homes teetering on edge of cliff Some of the peninsula is part of an ancient complex of landslides that has been moving for at least the past six decades, according to NASA.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
5 Feb. 2025
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Archaeologists recently found an ancient Roman helmet in an unusual location, a Danish village.—
Andrea Margolis,
Fox News,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
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Jessica Winter considers how these moves reflect the primal power of naming.—
Ian Crouch,
The New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2025
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The sounds of horses bucking and huffing only heighten the primal, animalistic vibes in a scene that smash-cuts to Agnes being brutally admonished by her new stepmother, spurring Agnes’ own quiet war against Elvira.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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These places maintain the largest amount of intact primeval forest and the highest populations of bears, wolves and lynx in all of Europe.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
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Does Dellinger’s death suggest that Utah Territory, and by extension America itself, will always be driven by primeval conflict?—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But evidence of when prehistoric people started eating meat has been difficult to find.—
Hatty Willmoth,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
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These prehistoric people most closely followed a Mediterranean-like diet.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The loss of Murray only adds one more devastating injury to a Pelicans season that’s been flooded with them since the start of training camp in early October.—
William Guillory,
The Athletic,
1 Feb. 2025
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The bodies of 28 people had been recovered by early Thursday, and efforts to find the remains of other passengers were underway.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near primordial
Cite this Entry
“Primordial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primordial. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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