PROGENITOR Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

progenitor

noun

prō-ˈje-nə-tər

Definition of progenitor

as in ancestor

a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent the progenitors of today's Maya once ruled a mighty empire that stretched across much of Central America

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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 progenitor In her account, Richmond indeed emerges as its progenitor—through his theorizing, his behind-the-scenes parliamentary and polemical maneuvering, and his patronage of Thomas Paine. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 Watching their metronomic thriller does more to suggest the arrival of a hyper-sexualized answer to the Coen brothers than the progeny of William Gibson or the progenitors of multiplex psychedelia. — Nick Newman, IndieWire, 1 June 2026 The models specifically reproduced how said particles would interact with the expanding shell of material shrugged off by the supernova's dying progenitor star. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 May 2026 Its story of five girls — all navigating preteenagerdom under the stewardship of their tragically well-meaning white dads — stands firmly on its own legs, even staring down some of its progenitors. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for progenitor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for progenitor

Noun

My three sons are 13th generation Americans whose ancestors fought as Patriots during the Revolutionary War.

— David Neil, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Visitors strolled through the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens Saturday morning to kick off Obon Weekend, a traditional Japanese festival honoring the spirits of ancestors.

— Mike Stocker, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

Vance is set to speak at the Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works facility, which was known as Armco Steel when his grandfather James Vance worked there for nearly 40 years.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
As for Harris, her grandfather's brick now has a place of honor at home.

— Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Vernon, meanwhile, is encouraging people to remember that there was a man, a husband and father behind the headlines.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
His six children inherited the franchise through a family trust, with Jeanie continuing to oversee the team’s business operations and succeeding her father as the Lakers’ representative on the NBA Board of Governors.

— Law Murray, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of father

Browse Nearby Words

profusions

progenitor

progenitors

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“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/progenitor. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of progenitor

noun

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