antediluvian

[ an-tee-di-loo-vee-uh n ]

/ ˌæn ti dɪˈlu vi ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR antediluvian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Gen. 7, 8.

very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive: antediluvian ideas.

noun

a person who lived before the Flood.

a very old or old-fashioned person or thing.

Nearby words

Origin of antediluvian

1640–50; ante- + Latin dīluvi(um) a flood, deluge + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for antediluvian

Put aside an invincibly ignorant Rick Perry or the antediluvian Ron Paul, who would abolish the Fed altogether.
Can Ben Bernanke, Like John Roberts, Ignore Political Pressure and Do His Job?|Robert Shrum|July 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“Through Cain came all the smart, educated people down to the antediluvian ﬂood—the intellectuals, bible colleges,” Branham wrote.
Inside Sarah's Church|Max Blumenthal|September 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The ages of the antediluvian patriarchs, for instance, are accurately rendered into verse.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4|Various
I always knew he was extinct, but I had no idea he was antediluvian as well.
Dick, Marjorie and Fidge|G. E. Farrow

"Then let us steer more to the westward, for we know what we have to expect from antediluvian animals," was my eager reply.
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth|Jules Verne
Possibly on the far margin of the land we might see the smoke of antediluvian towns long ago deeply submerged in the sea.
The Meeting-Place of Geology and History|Sir John William Dawson
The sight of these remnants of antediluvian woodlands made history seem the reminiscence of a child.
Overland|John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for antediluvian

antediluvian

/ (ˌæntɪdɪˈluːvɪən, -daɪ-) /

adjective

belonging to the ages before the biblical Flood (Genesis 7, 8)

old-fashioned or antiquated

noun

an antediluvian person or thing

Word Origin for antediluvian

C17: from ante- + Latin dīluvium flood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for antediluvian

antediluvian

adj.

"before Noah's flood," 1640s, formed from Latin ante- "before" (see ante) + diluvium "a flood" (see deluge (n.)). Coined by English physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682). As a noun meaning "person who lived before the Flood," from 1680s.