1
as in grandfather
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
Bridie's Irish ancestors immigrated to the United States in the 19th century during the Great Potato Famine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
pinball machines—the ancestors of today's video games—go back to the 19th century
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 ancestor
Based on the 1995 novel by Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic follows the witchy women of the Owens’ family, whose heartbroken ancestor cursed their bloodline so that any man who falls in love with an Owens woman dies a tragic death.
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
The system that once saved people’s lives now makes many miserable over things that would have been unimaginable to their ancestors.
—Phil Starks, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
Since the discovery of the bacterial flagellar motor in the 1970s, biologists and creationists alike have marveled at its design like medieval architects staring with awe at the dome of the Pantheon built by their Roman ancestors.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026
Lagomarsini also discovered material about her ancestors.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
The system that once saved people’s lives now makes many miserable over things that would have been unimaginable to their ancestors.
—Phil Starks, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
Since the discovery of the bacterial flagellar motor in the 1970s, biologists and creationists alike have marveled at its design like medieval architects staring with awe at the dome of the Pantheon built by their Roman ancestors.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026
Lagomarsini also discovered material about her ancestors.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
Noun
-
The two had been arguing just a few hours earlier over Sweeney’s reluctance to do chores around the house, his grandfather told police.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The driver who fatally struck a grandfather in Midtown in 2024 was sentenced with 180 days of work release and 30 days of community service last week — a typically light sentence in California, where many vehicular manslaughter cases are charged as misdemeanors.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.—
Chris Roush,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Hungary’s incoming premier today showed investors how austere he is compared to his forerunner.—
Jonathan Tirone,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a one-joke punch line.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Wilson’s father, Bruce, and Sweeney’s mother, Kelly, are Gayle Wilson’s stepchildren, according to TMZ.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Typically, full contact is the precursor to an injured player’s return to game action.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
To address this, researchers added a two-dimensional perovskite and formamidinium chloride to the precursor solution.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Miron Muslic was appointed in the summer following his acrimonious departure from Plymouth Argyle, and the Bosnian has built an incredibly consistent, tough team that, unlike its predecessors, responds well to adversity.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar alleged that his predecessor’s associates are fleeing the country with billions of dollars in assets.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Cacioppo—who taught herself to code from books before writing Vanta’s first prototype—now oversees roughly 1,000 employees.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But for this exhibition, Belarus is a prototype, not an exception.—
Harrison Jacobs,
ARTnews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
