ancestor

noun

ˈan-ˌse-stər How to pronounce ancestor (audio)
Definition of ancestornext
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 Their mutual ancestor, John Brinkley, hailed from Blount County in Tennessee—not far from present-day Dollywood. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026 Essay Get the Lead Out Alex Manley Our ancestors were born to die by predators. — Naomi Skwarna, hazlitt.net, 25 Aug. 2026 Ancestry revealed that Parton and Miley Cyrus are seventh cousins, once removed, sharing a common ancestor, John Brickey, who was born in Virginia in 1740. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 For the last decade, genealogical consultant Grant Din has helped Asian Americans find information about their ancestors, many of whom passed through San Francisco’s Angel Island Immigration Station in the 1900s. — Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ancestor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestor
  1. grandfather
  2. forerunner
  3. father
  4. precursor
  5. predecessor
  6. prototype
Noun
  • A week earlier, with Eldridge on bereavement leave, the family gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to bury his grandfather, Edward Kenney, a Korean War veteran and Purple Heart recipient who died in March.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • After her grandfather Elia Kazan adapted John Steinbeck’s novel into a celebrated film, Zoe Kazan is taking a crack at a newer retelling of the family saga.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of grandfather
Noun
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunner
Noun
  • The Dune star has five older half siblings from her father’s previous relationship.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His father, William Hawley, said legal action was the only way to get answers.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of father
Noun
  • Losing to the Clippers was the precursor to the Jazz blowing up their team a year later; Utah only came out of hibernation this past summer.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But fantasy sports, an almost quaint precursor to the instantaneous forms of gambling proliferating now, remains hugely prevalent.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of precursor
Noun
  • John is then abducted by a group led by an alien named Antaan, who tells him about the Manhunters—ancient synthetic predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps capable of disguising themselves as other species.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Victoria’s contemporary rig, winches, and autopilot functionality allow for single-handed sailing in conditions that would keep its predecessor at the dock.
    — Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of predecessor
Noun
  • Engineers have assembled a prototype air-cooling rig to test the passive safety systems.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Commercial platforms, logical qubits, error-correction techniques, quantum sensing systems, networking prototypes, photonic architectures, and hybrid quantum-classical systems are moving from theory to more practical use.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of prototype

Browse Nearby Words

anatomy
ancestor
ancestors
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ancestor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestor. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All