ATAVISTIC Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

atavistic

adjective

Definition of atavistic

as in archaic

formal very primitive

—used to describe feelings or qualities that human beings have had from the earliest times atavistic instincts reverting to atavistic behavior

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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 atavistic To dismiss animism as ignorant, superstitious, or atavistic is to partake in modern parochialism, and this serves the interests of those who, like the tree’s killers, delight in destroying life. — Colin Cepuran, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically. — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025 Rather than conjuring a mood of bracing inexorability, this linear focus only suffocates what might be an interesting debate, as a man of the modern world weighs his values against those of a woman raised in atavistic isolation. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 The experts think fiat money is mature and serious and the gold standard cranky, weird, and atavistic. — Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atavistic

Adjective

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
Now, if the league would drop its archaic blackout rules, this would be a lot easier for everyone.

— Scott Powers, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

Now at the National Museum of American History, the vanilla silk crepe dress, with its single waterfall ruffle and narrow claret ribbon at the waist, hinted at old-world craft and restraint.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
Paired with solid-color cotton bedding, the ticking stripe adds just a touch of texture and pattern without leaning too heavily into the old-world look.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of old-world

Adjective

Personally, this idea that the woke nonsense is just an outmoded relic of the past is ridiculous.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026
If outmoded office buildings end up becoming once again viable as office buildings, Berman’s thesis could end up becoming a casualty of its own transformational success.

— Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

Joe Biden, a link to a bygone era of civility and bipartisanship, ran in 2020 on a message of restoring the soul of America.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Yan has won over Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, two players from a bygone era, in part because his stuff is so good.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of bygone

Adjective

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
This caused the prehistoric Tethys Ocean, which once separated the supercontinents of Laurasia and Gondwana, to shrink.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of prehistoric

Adjective

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
Today, satellite television barely exists — even cable is antiquated.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

Brussels offers a different atmosphere from Rome and La Baule, two of the sport’s historic destinations.

— Gemma Redrup, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Organizers say contemporary art can reinvigorate historic spaces while giving artists new settings to engage with the UK’s architectural and cultural heritage.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026