primordial

adjective

prī-ˈmȯr-dē-əl How to pronounce primordial (audio)
Definition of primordialnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 primordial Life on Earth is thought to have emerged from the primordial ooze some four billion years ago. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026 The primordial ooze here remains a blend of pluggnB and West Coast rap experimentalism a la Odd Future, the same sauce that linked 2023’s Balling Out of Spite with last year’s level-up art Pop*Pop Art. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 29 July 2026 The area around the park truly embodies the classic, primordial look of a southern swamp with its blackwater mirror reflections and towering cypress and tupelo trees with Spanish moss dangling from them. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 Meddy is a teen mortal in a family of primordial sea deities. — Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for primordial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primordial
  1. ancient
  2. primitive
  3. primal
  4. primeval
  5. prehistoric
  6. early
Adjective
  • After becoming a daily fixture in the 1990s, blackouts have worsened since 2024, when Cuba’s ancient power grid began to collapse and Soviet-era electrical stations began failing more frequently.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Its towering basalt cliffs formed as ancient volcanic rock cooled and fractured.
    — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • When the Followers began, healthcare on the Western frontier was primitive, unsanitary and riddled with con artists peddling fake cures.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In an early study, researchers collected about five hours of primitive tennis movements from amateur players using a compact motion-capture setup.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • Animals could offer liberatory models to throw off bourgeois conventions, returning Surrealists to primal ways of being.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Every single song was a pile driver to the head, feeding that primal pleasure of a meaty guitar riff over a heavy drum beat and Johnson’s gritty falsetto.
    — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of primal
Adjective
  • The work required felling primeval trees measuring six feet in diameter and digging a deep trench through the marsh to accommodate boat traffic.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Yeti takes place deep in the Alps, where an avalanche has unleashed something primeval from the glacial ice.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Definition of primeval
Adjective
  • Another, Undine kommt (Undine Comes), 2025, has its head in profile with a frontal eye, evoking the conventions of ancient Egyptian art and prehistoric female figurines, motifs that permeate Stötzer’s drawings, writings, and costumes.
    — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Beyond art, Griffin has also been a major buyer of important documents and prehistoric fossils.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • Another day, another millennial-nostalgia-baiting sequel to a classic late 1990s or early 2000s movie.
    — Lauren O’Neill, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026
  • But shortstop Colson Montgomery provided early offense with a three-run home run as part of a four-run first inning.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of early

Browse Nearby Words

primogenitors
primordial
primp
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Cite this Entry

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

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