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 outdated; passé.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
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.
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
The research was published in Cell under the title "Bronze Age Yersinia pestis genome from sheep sheds light on hosts and evolution of a prehistoric plague lineage."
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026
The spooky inhabitants of the mansion, Button House, come from a variety of historial periods, ranging from prehistoric man right through to the modern day.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
Just when it looked like we’d left some pursuers behind, another three or four would lurch out of the water like the unearthed remains of prehistoric monsters.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
