1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Recent Examples of primal
Anyone who has ever been in mortal danger or in the grips of primal grief will recognize the error of Rousseau’s claim that knowledge of death and its terrors moves us away from the animal condition.
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Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
On top of treasure hunting, the crew is dealing with daddy issues (not just dead ones), another group of murderous treasure hunters, and, yes, that primal rivalry with the rich bitches in town, the Kooks.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
The two arrangements start off sounding fairly similar, swaggering in on a primal guitar riff for the ages.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Oct. 2024
But a classic creature feature takes deep, primal fears — the unknown, the dark, and everything that might be hiding there — and manifests them as grotesque beings that defy both science and nature.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primal 
Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
On top of treasure hunting, the crew is dealing with daddy issues (not just dead ones), another group of murderous treasure hunters, and, yes, that primal rivalry with the rich bitches in town, the Kooks.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
The two arrangements start off sounding fairly similar, swaggering in on a primal guitar riff for the ages.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Oct. 2024
But a classic creature feature takes deep, primal fears — the unknown, the dark, and everything that might be hiding there — and manifests them as grotesque beings that defy both science and nature.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for primal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primal
Adjective
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The zinc gradually lost its hold on the cables suspending the telescope’s main platform over the reflector dish.Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
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The measure’s main opponents, the state Republican Party and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, did not appear to raise any money to campaign against the proposition.Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Scientists found mummies covered in ancient cheese By Rachel Feltman Scientists recently found some cheese that’s been developing its funk for a little bit longer than usual: 3,500 years or so.Popular Science Staff, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
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The buck proved to be a seven-pointer, an ancient fellow with a main beam of twenty-eight inches, and a spread of thirty-two.Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.OregonLive.com, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017
Adjective
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Theoretically, the broadcast ban was aimed at both loyalist and republican groups, but the primary target was Sinn Féin and, consequently, Gerry Adams.Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
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This decrease is attributed to lower sales volume and delays in shipping from a primary supplier.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border opens on a wide shot of an endless stretch of trees — the densely forested, almost primeval zone marking the boundary between Belarus and Poland where much of the film will take place.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 June 2024
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This enormous park, which sits mostly in Wyoming’s northwestern corner with slices in Idaho and Montana, offers plenty of conventional lodging choices, but there’s no better way to experience this primeval place than by camping.Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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The sculpture is a miracle, the museum guide will tell you, proof that this artist, born in the Sichuan region of China, who arrived in America in the late Nineties, is the third coming of the primordial Buddha.Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024
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For life to arise from Earth’s primordial ingredients, early cells needed some way to keep their contents from simply drifting away.ByMitch Leslie, science.org, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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One search through artificial intelligence chatbots generates an exponential amount of 25 times more electricity than a Google search and will become the predominant energy consumer across several countries in a mere number of years.Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
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Beijing is used to being the predominant external powerbroker with respect to the North and aims first and foremost to maintain balance and stability on the Korean Peninsula.Daniel DePetris, Twin Cities, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Uncle Jack Cassidy lives on the island which is filled with new dinosaur species, giant insects and prehistoric amphibians.Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
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Godzilla: Dressing up as a prehistoric dinosaurian monster never gets old.Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near primal
Cite this Entry
“Primal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primal. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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