primeval

American

[prahy-mee-vuhl] / praɪˈmi vəl /

Or primaeval

adjective

of or relating to the first age or ages, especially of the world.

primeval forms of life.

Synonyms:

pristine, primordial, primary

primeval British

/ praɪˈmiːvəl /

adjective

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

"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

Related Words

See prime.

Other Word Forms

primevally adverb

Etymology

Origin of primeval

First recorded in 1765–75; from Latin prīmaev(us) “young” ( prīm(us) prime + aev(um) age + -us adjective suffix) + -al ¹

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.

With a single, in-block cam, one timing chain and two valves per cylinder, Godzilla is so primitive it’s practically primeval.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

This month, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is opening an exhibit that will use scents and sounds mimicking an ancient forest to recreate a primeval paradise.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2024

For example, how much primeval forest has been cleared for an agricultural product or how the land was previously used.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2024

The primeval compulsion inside him that he can’t name flares.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2023

The early universe was filled with radiation and a plenum of matter, originally hydrogen and helium, formed from elementary particles in the dense primeval fireball.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023