primary sources is not in our dictionary (yet). Here's what it could mean:
Confidence: high
Results generated using artificial intelligence.
noun
- An original document, artifact, or first-hand account created at the time of an event or by someone who directly experienced it, used as direct evidence in research.
- The raw data, original research, or foundational material used in a scholarly or journalistic analysis, as opposed to interpretations of that material.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The story quotes Frederick Hess, director of education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, as praising the new curriculum’s use of primary sources.
From Salon • May 14, 2026
And therein lies another problem: A lot of users also aren’t following the clips through to their primary sources, because everything is being clipped and pushed in their faces now.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
Thesaurus
Possible Synonyms
- eyewitness testimony
- field notes
- original documents
- contemporaneous records
- from the horse's mouth
Possible Antonyms
Words in our thesaurus
other words
- textbook summaries
- secondary sources
- literature review
- scholarly critiques
