1
as in main
coming before all others in importance the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period there was a period of primal idealism after the founding of the republic and before the rise of partisan politics
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of primal But the primal thrill of watching Rooney take games by the scruff of the neck at will never fade. —
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026 Evil Kirk is a frightening, primal menace, skulking around the corridors like a feral beast, chugging brandy and assaulting Yeoman Rand with no conscience. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 22 Mar. 2026 Gaining rare access to vibrant young people brimming with energy and doubt, uncertain if tomorrow even exists, the filmmaker reveals how living fiercely in the moment becomes a primal defense. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026 My desire to catch this fish felt primal, written in my genes. —Kim Cross, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primal
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026 Evil Kirk is a frightening, primal menace, skulking around the corridors like a feral beast, chugging brandy and assaulting Yeoman Rand with no conscience. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 22 Mar. 2026 Gaining rare access to vibrant young people brimming with energy and doubt, uncertain if tomorrow even exists, the filmmaker reveals how living fiercely in the moment becomes a primal defense. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2026 My desire to catch this fish felt primal, written in my genes. —Kim Cross, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
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Three main risks should worry Congress, the courts and every American about the rapid rise of these markets.— Editorial, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
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Surges can sometimes indicate an underlying wiring issue or a problem with your main breaker.— Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The variety of organic molecules observed suggests that some chemical diversity has been preserved in ancient Martian sediments despite billions of years of diagenesis (the process by which sediment turns to rock) and radiation exposure.— Leonard David, Space.com, 21 Apr. 2026
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For the Sake of the Children is an audio series following Justin Lucas’ journey in rallying his small, tightknit town of Moriah to stand up to their ancient foreboding gods – alien beings known as the Architects that are thought to be humanity’s creators.— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In 2018, Google employees staged a massive walkout to protest the company’s work on a primitive iteration of the project.— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
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The education center and two semi-primitive campgrounds feature vault toilets.— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Lemon was also the Trojans’ primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.— Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
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The Highway Trust Fund — the primary federal account dedicated to funding highways, bridges and transit — is going broke.— Andrew Stasiowski, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This 50-square-mile crescent in the Pacific has the southernmost coral reef in the world and a wealth of wilderness walks that include everything from primeval banyan forests to endangered ground-dwelling birds.— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Dec. 2025
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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California Time slows to a primeval pace in the sequoia groves that make up Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where arboreal giants have watched the seasons come and go for more than 2,000 years.— Sarah L. Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The heavy elements produced in the violent death of one first generation star swiftly polluted a primordial cloud of molecular hydrogen and helium that subsequently collapsed to form SDSS J0715-7334.— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
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The most popular origin story involves Theia—a Mars-sized protoplanet—smashing into the primordial proto-Earth, with the debris from both bodies quickly coalescing into the moon.— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Royse said that according to the AccuWeather long range forecast, there will be a brief warmup starting next week, but chilly air masses will be more predominant for the second half of the month, contrary to the first two weeks of April.— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
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In mixed turf, mow to the height for the predominant species in your lawn.— Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Yet the shark lawyers just need a few early wins to punish the big box retailers for offering cut rate prices.— Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
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Landeskog scored on the one-year anniversary of his return from a three-year absence to give the Avalanche an early lead.— Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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