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 Muskox, uniquely adapted to survival in the high Arctic, just look a bit more exotic, like prehistoric cousins to bison. — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026 The Museum includes creative work from prehistoric cave paintings to today’s on-screen art. — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 The film, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, stars McGregor and Hathaway as suburban parents in 1982 whose neighborhood is mysteriously transported to prehistoric times. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star in the movie about a family in the early 1980s whose suburban neighborhood has landed in a place teeming with prehistoric predators. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 15 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
  • 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
  • The obsolete buildings are gone, Zurich fills up vacant space, and his village remains on the cutting edge.
    — Alex Nitkin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Golden Gate’s residents have grappled with issues around the complex’s living conditions for years, including mold, rodents and obsolete electrical systems, leading them to file suit in 2020.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • Another day trip option is the hilltop town of Erice, where there's a medieval fortress that's over 2,500 years old.
    — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
  • According to a medieval historian at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in England, Pope Alexander had his own bone to pick with King Harold.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of medieval
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
  • 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
prejudge
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Cite this Entry

“Prehistoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prehistoric. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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