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
The models specifically reproduced how said particles would interact with the expanding shell of material shrugged off by the supernova's dying progenitor star.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
25 May 2026
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.
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Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
But Larsson’s may be the first remix album in recent memory to arrive with greater anticipation than its progenitor.
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Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
In a scene following the triumph of successfully creating a human blastocyst outside the womb, IVF’s three progenitors face the Medical Research Council.
—
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
25 May 2026
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
But Larsson’s may be the first remix album in recent memory to arrive with greater anticipation than its progenitor.
—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
In a scene following the triumph of successfully creating a human blastocyst outside the womb, IVF’s three progenitors face the Medical Research Council.
—
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for progenitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for progenitor
Noun
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Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.
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One of these is likely the evolutionary ancestor of all that is to come.
Noun
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In 1926, Brian's great-grandfather, Henry Knoebel, opened a pool that would mark the official start of the family’s park.
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The supplies will be taken to Miami and then Venezuela by Olarte Transport, said volunteer Andrea Casanova, 28, whose grandfather was in Venezuela when the earthquakes struck.
Noun
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The news of the arrest caught the attention of the family of Amy McHale, a woman who was once married to Horsch’s father and disappeared nearly 10 years ago.
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Her oldest sister, Sonia Gonzalez, said Gonzalez reminds her a lot of their father, who reinvented himself many times over the years.
Cite this Entry
“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/progenitor. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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