prehistoric
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the time or a period prior to recorded history.
The dinosaur is a prehistoric beast.
-
Slang. outdated; passé.
My mom has these prehistoric ideas about proper dress.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- prehistorically adverb
Etymology
Origin of prehistoric
Explanation
If while hiking, you see strange painting on a cliff, it may be rock art from prehistoric times, meaning something from the time before history was recorded. When you break down the word prehistoric, it’s easy to figure out what it means. The prefix pre-, means “before” and historic relates to something from a past culture. Put the two together, and you get prehistoric, a word that describes something that comes from a time before history was recorded. For example, Stonehenge is a prehistoric site, or the woolly mammoth is a prehistoric beast.
Vocabulary lists containing prehistoric
World Without Fish
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science: Geology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dr. David Schwimmer, a leading authority on the massive North American crocodilian genus Deinosuchus and a geology professor at Columbus State University, has helped bring a prehistoric giant back to life.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
Choudhury, whose favorite genus is the classic Tyrannosaurus, says he’d love to see more obscure prehistoric species.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
Wouldn’t you want to hang out with the guy unabashedly wearing a hat with a prehistoric creature bursting out of each end?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
Researchers have identified a 90 million year old fossil that helps solve a long standing mystery about a strange group of prehistoric animals.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
How did that prehistoric 4,000-mile expedition come about?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
