primeval

or pri·mae·val

[ prahy-mee-vuhl ]

/ praɪˈmi vəl /

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See synonyms for primeval on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to the first age or ages, especially of the world: primeval forms of life.

OTHER WORDS FOR primeval

primary, primordial, pristine.

See synonyms for primeval on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of primeval

First recorded in 1765–75; from Latin prīmaev(us) “young” (prīm(us)prime + aev(um)age + -us adjective suffix) + -al¹

synonym study for primeval

See prime.

OTHER WORDS FROM primeval

pri·me·val·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH primeval

primal, primeval , primordial

Words nearby primeval

prime ribs, primero, primers, prime the pump, prime time, primeval, prime vertical, primigravida, primine, priming, primipara

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use primeval in a sentence

A few years later, he suggested that perhaps the cosmos began with all of its matter in a single point — the “primeval atom,” he called it.
‘Flashes of Creation’ recounts the Big Bang theory’s origin story|Christopher Crockett|August 24, 2021|Science News
Travel to a land sculpted by ancient volcanoes, where crystal blue rivers carve their way through primeval forests, towering mountains give way to lush valleys and pristine lakes, and deep below the surface lie vast networks of cavernous wonders.
Experience Every Season of Deschutes|Outside Editors|June 17, 2021|Outside Online
In their statements, Yamaguchi and Schipper link primeval fables to modern ecological crises.
In the galleries: Images focus on the future of the planet|Mark Jenkins|May 28, 2021|Washington Post
The next night, after a rollicking, 27-mile day of trending downhill through primeval stadiums of hoodoos, arches and knee-buckling cliffs, the wigs come out.
On mountain bikes in the Utah desert, a college reunion like no other|John Briley|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

People come from around the world to fish for all five species of wild Alaska salmon, hunt everything from mountain goats to brown bears, and experience primeval wild country.
Loggers could soon slice through one of the most important forests in the US|By Bjorn Dihle/ Outdoor Life|September 30, 2020|Popular-Science
Bryan Hurt in Split Images and Raymond Cruz in City Primeval are cops.
Elmore Leonard’s Rocky Road to Fame and Fortune|Mike Lupica|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The landscape here, like all of Iceland, has a primeval majesty.
Want to Write a Book? Go to Iceland|Adam LeBor|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The longing for a product that we have not yet experienced strikes some primeval need, particularly in Americans.
‘A Lifetime of Experience’ May Hinder Hillary Clinton in 2016|Stuart Stevens|July 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There could never be anything friendly, anything possessing, in a land destined for a race of primeval giants.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
She points to her pinions stretched over the abyss of primeval fire, her eyes blinded by its awful glare, and remains silent.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward
"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," as this earth emerged from its primeval darkness.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward
The organization of man renders it questionable if his primeval ancestor was arboreal to any similar extent.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
He wheeled toward the deepening night, the torn and soiled blue robe clinging to him as to the figure of a primeval god.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa

British Dictionary definitions for primeval

primeval

primaeval

/ (praɪˈmiːvəl) /

adjective

of or belonging to the first age or ages, esp of the world

Derived forms of primeval

primevally or primaevally, adverb

Word Origin for primeval

C17: from Latin prīmaevus youthful, from prīmus first + aevum age

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

primeval

or pri·mae·val

OTHER WORDS FOR primeval

Origin of primeval

synonym study for primeval

OTHER WORDS FROM primeval

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH primeval

Words nearby primeval

Words related to primeval

How to use primeval in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for primeval

primaeval

Derived forms of primeval

Word Origin for primeval