primordial

adjective

prī-ˈmȯr-dē-əl How to pronounce primordial (audio)
Definition of primordialnext
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period all life on Earth supposedly came from a primordial ooze in existence many millions of years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 primordial Earth-impacting shrapnel from those primordial upheavals may have helped seed our planet with the precursors for life, delivering water and organic compounds from the dark, icy depths of the outer solar system. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 18 June 2026 Previous studies have suggested that Triton may have been captured by Neptune’s gravity after a close pass and flung inward to smash into Neptune’s primordial satellite system. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026 His new films taps into the mood in his native Russia in 2022 with a twist-laden tale of privilege, betrayal, jealously, primordial survival instinct and compromise in a Russian provincial city. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 May 2026 For this project, the British artist and stage designer has conceived a journey across 15 immersive installations, each titled with an evocative name and spotlighting the work of 500 artisans by framing their work with light, a primordial force that is at the heart of her artistic practice. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for primordial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primordial
  1. ancient
  2. primitive
  3. primal
  4. primeval
  5. prehistoric
  6. early
Adjective
  • That verdant vista of a piece of ancient, intricate architecture centered me in storied Osaka and proved a delightfully consistent through line for my stay.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
  • This phenomenon of gravitational lensing has been used to great effect to study ancient galaxies that would usually be too distant and faint to see when they are gravitationally lensed by foreground galaxy clusters.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • SpudCell is still primitive, most closely resembling a bacterium.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 1 July 2026
  • While primitive in appearance, the arms kept the device relatively secure on my neck.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • There's a full rainbow of primal prints to explore, like this flowing calf-print caftan from Moroccan designer Fadila El Gadi.
    — Katherine J Igoe, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • Tradition’s stubborn, and there’s still something primal about the boom and the body-rattling force of the real thing.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of primal
Adjective
  • This 50-square-mile crescent in the Pacific has the southernmost coral reef in the world and a wealth of wilderness walks that include everything from primeval banyan forests to endangered ground-dwelling birds.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California Time slows to a primeval pace in the sequoia groves that make up Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where arboreal giants have watched the seasons come and go for more than 2,000 years.
    — Sarah L. Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Dec. 2025
Definition of primeval
Adjective
  • The museum uses Akrotiri as a point of reference for the life and culture of prehistoric Thira.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The fraught subject of the proper disposition of those human remains has taken on a new sensitivity — both for the prehistoric people’s Native American successors in Florida, and for the archaeologists and developers encountering them.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • All that to say, a glass of rye whiskey, one of the oldest drinks in America and the original base of many of our earliest cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, is an easy way to honor the scrappy American spirit.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Heck, the city almost lost out on Messi altogether, with Argentina barely escaping Cape Verde in an early knockout match Friday night.
    — Sam McDowell Updated July 3, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
Definition of early

Browse Nearby Words

primogenitors
primordial
primp
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Cite this Entry

“Primordial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primordial. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of primordial for Spanish Speakers

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