ANCESTRAL Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

ancestral

adjective

Definition of ancestral

as in historic

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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 ancestral There are two populations – Jewish and Arab, the descendants of Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael – fighting over ancestral land. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026 After prescriptions failed, Manganiello pursued alternative healing and says a Santa Monica shaman helped free him from ancestral trauma. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 But what her father left out of his memoir and Duong captured in her film was the untold torment of Ba leaving his mother, Nguyen Thị Bay, or grandmother Ba Noi, and close relatives behind in their ancestral village in Vietnam. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026 These genomes should reflect the full sequence of both chromosome copies and the diversity of the global population, rather than relying on one person or one ancestral group as a universal standard. — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ancestral

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancestral

Adjective

Both those historic actions happened as part of the Biden administration's focus on anti-money laundering and efforts to promote compliance with the then-emerging virtual currency industry.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Yeager's historic flight followed a series of unpowered glide tests, incuding three by Yeager himself in August of 1947, followed by ever faster subsonic powered flights.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of historic

Adjective

At The Aster, a boutique hotel and members club in Hollywood, guests can begin the day with classes in the reformer Pilates studio, where old-world dark wood and ornamental columns are paired with high-tech apparatus.

— Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026
Hiller plays Aldrict, an old-world vampire who has crossed paths with Liz several times over the centuries and is a bit of a troublemaker.

— Peter White, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of old-world

Adjective

Adding fuel to the debate is the discovery of ancient artifacts — texts, frescoes, tombstone inscriptions — that seem, to some, to depict women as priests in the early Catholic Church.

— Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
The two genetic variants are also ancient, suggesting that the difference has persisted over evolutionary timescales.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancient

Adjective

While today's freezers are packed with ice cream flavors such as cookies and cream, salted caramel and mint chocolate chip, some old-time favorites seem to have melted away.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Everybody has a favorite old-time neighborhood pizza stand or cafe.

— Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of old-time

Adjective

The row reached the competition jury’s press conference the day after the opening ceremony, where a reporter raised the question of historical fact and creative freedom.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Furthermore, the use of economic arguments to justify oppression has disturbing historical precedent.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

On the other, evidence suggests this pair of habitual time-wasters were commonly found on the floor, running laughter through a Yamaha SPX90 effects processor for kicks and strumming the same note for 40-odd minutes.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Inak primarily cites unresolved maintenance issues with his restaurant space, including habitual flooding.

— Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of habitual

Adjective

The pickup’s driver, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, was taken into custody but was later released after police consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

— Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.

— Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of old

Browse Nearby Words

ancestors

ancestral

ancestress

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Ancestral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancestral. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ancestral

adjective

Example Sentences

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