as in ancestor
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
the progenitors of today's Maya once ruled a mighty empire that stretched across much of Central America
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Recent Examples of progenitor
In this timeless progenitor of low-budget horror cinema, a woman survives a devastating car accident and begins seeing paranormal visions of ghoulish men who pursue her to the ends of the earth and her sanity.
—
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2025
By 1900, tonkatsu pork cutlet (progenitor of the katsu sando) had been invented at a restaurant called Rengatei in the ultra-modern Ginza district, which also gave rise to omurice (a phonetic portmanteau of omelet and rice).
—Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
Ghetto house became the progenitor of Chicago’s thriving juke and footwork scenes, and artists including RP Boo and the United Kingdom’s Night Slugs collective have taken to social media to pay tribute to DJ Funk and his lasting impact on their work.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 7 Mar. 2025
This version of the Democratic Party, which featured the progenitor of wokeism, Obama himself, as the leading presidential campaign trail surrogate for Harris, was thoroughly rejected in November by the American people.
—Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2025
By 1900, tonkatsu pork cutlet (progenitor of the katsu sando) had been invented at a restaurant called Rengatei in the ultra-modern Ginza district, which also gave rise to omurice (a phonetic portmanteau of omelet and rice).
—Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
Ghetto house became the progenitor of Chicago’s thriving juke and footwork scenes, and artists including RP Boo and the United Kingdom’s Night Slugs collective have taken to social media to pay tribute to DJ Funk and his lasting impact on their work.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 7 Mar. 2025
This version of the Democratic Party, which featured the progenitor of wokeism, Obama himself, as the leading presidential campaign trail surrogate for Harris, was thoroughly rejected in November by the American people.
—Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for progenitor
Noun
-
Now is the time to stand up for every American’s First Amendment right to tell their story, to dissent from the government’s world view, to celebrate the resilience and fortitude of ancestors who fought for their rights and their culture in this country.—
John Leguizamo,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
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Names carry the legacy of our ancestors, the history of our culture, and the desires of our parents.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Princess Charlotte shares a close bond with her grandfather, King Charles.—
Greta Bjornson,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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In From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Ana de Armas’ Eve is seeking revenge after the death of her father, Javier (David Castañeda), who was killed in an assassination attempt by his father-in-law and her grandfather, The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) a dozen years before.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/progenitor. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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