antediluvian

[ an-tee-di-loo-vee-uhn ]

/ ˌæn ti dɪˈlu vi ən /

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See synonyms for: antediluvian / antediluvians on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Genesis 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very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive: antediluvian ideas.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.

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Origin of antediluvian

First recorded in 1640–50; ante- + Latin dīluvi(um) “a flood, deluge” + -an;see origin at deluge

Words nearby antediluvian

antechapel, antechoir, ante-Christum, antecourt, antedate, antediluvian, antediluvian patriarch, antefix, anteflexion, ant egg, antehall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use antediluvian in a sentence

In the best of times the permitting process is slightly antediluvian.
July 4 in Rehoboth: fireworks return but Freddie’s is delayed|Peter Rosenstein|June 28, 2021|Washington Blade
Didn't Linehan and Mathews know they were perpetuating antediluvian blah blah blah... You know the drill.
Father Ted: Comedy as Liberation|Tom Doran|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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

But carriages, dog-carts and antediluvian flys began to pour into The Park.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills
But I also find the petrified vertebra of an antediluvian animal upon which the Trojans have carved a large owls head.
Troy and its Remains|Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann
And we may fairly surmise that this Accadian culture (if such it be) is reflected from antediluvian tradition.
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford
Been a long ride for ye, ain't it, ye old antediluvian handful of animated carpet-tacks?
Sixes and Sevens|O. Henry
I felt as if we were inside the skeleton of some antediluvian monster whose huge black ribs completely enfolded us.
The Empty House And Other Ghost Stories|Algernon Blackwood

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

antediluvian

Origin of antediluvian

Words nearby antediluvian

Words related to antediluvian

How to use antediluvian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for antediluvian

Word Origin for antediluvian