prehistoric

adjective

ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ik How to pronounce prehistoric (audio)
variants also prehistorical
Definition of prehistoricnext
as in archaic
having passed its time of use or usefulness prehistoric notions about mental illness that have no place in today's world

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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 prehistoric My kids could never get enough of Dinosaur Land, a walk-through theme park with more than 50 life-sized replicas of these beloved prehistoric creatures made out of fiberglass. — Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 That was back in prehistoric times, of course, but there are still good arguments for a dedicated PC tower or all-in-one as part of your student's edu-tech loadout. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026 This caused the prehistoric Tethys Ocean, which once separated the supercontinents of Laurasia and Gondwana, to shrink. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026 Hathaway plays a suburban mom whose neighborhood is suddenly and mysteriously transported from 1982 to prehistoric times, putting family and neighbors at the mercy of hungry dinosaurs. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prehistoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prehistoric
  1. archaic
  2. obsolete
  3. medieval
  4. antiquated
  5. neolithic
Adjective
  • Japan’s royal succession depends on a archaic and highly contested law, despite a wealth of women who would be eligible to rule under different circumstances.
    — Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • And the rest is public perception, which has shifted against what many Americans see as a dirty, archaic form of power generation.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • And although, as a survey-style telescope, Roman boasts a wider, faster view of the sky than either Hubble or JWST, McEnery emphasized that doesn’t make these more focused missions obsolete.
    — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The same practice can be revolutionary in one company, incremental in another, and obsolete in a third.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • Brede Hovland of Norway’s Einar Film, who stepped in for producer Guri Neby on the panel, said the Norwegian shoot wrapped at the end of May after six-to-seven weeks in Oslo, with production now in Prague for the medieval and fantasy material.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Start your day with a lakeside walk, then visit Meersburg Castle, the town’s medieval fortress, before heading to the New Castle (Neues Schloss), a Baroque palace perched above the lake, for panoramic views.
    — Sofia Markovich, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • Costco online cake ordering updates antiquated system The online cake ordering feature was first revealed to be on the way by Costco CEO Ron Vachris in the company's quarterly earnings call in December 2025.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Additionally, interviews and encounters with the slain officers’ family members also illustrate the cost and harm of a job that was formed in the early 19th century and remains antiquated and unchanged in our 21st-century world.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of antiquated
Adjective
  • From the Neolithic rock art of what is now Libya to ancient Egypt, China and India, to medieval and Renaissance Europe, creatures at borderlands of what was taken to be civilization were represented as cynocephalic, that is, humans with dog heads.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
  • Multiple generations of Neolithic designers relied on communal teamwork and clever construction techniques to precisely place each of the site’s gigantic megaliths about 5,000 years ago.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 June 2026
Definition of neolithic

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prehistoric
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Cite this Entry

“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prehistoric. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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