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Ancestor synonyms

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progenitor
A direct ancestor.
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  1. A direct ancestor.
  2. A forefather; ancestor in direct line
  3. A source from which something develops; originator or precursor
progenitor
A direct ancestor.
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  1. A direct ancestor.
  2. A forefather; ancestor in direct line
  3. A source from which something develops; originator or precursor
forebear
An ancestor
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  1. An ancestor
  2. A person from whom one is descended; an ancestor.
forefather
An ancestor.
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  1. An ancestor.
  2. Cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.
  3. A person who is from an earlier time and has originated or contributed to a common tradition shared by a particular group.
parent
A source or cause; an origin:
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  1. A source or cause; an origin:
  2. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm or a male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child or the birth of a child.
  3. A mother or father
father
A male whose impregnation of a female results in the birth of a child.
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  1. A male whose impregnation of a female results in the birth of a child.
  2. A man who serves or is thought of as a protector:
  3. An adoptive father
mother
A woman who gives birth to a child.
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  1. A woman who gives birth to a child.
  2. A woman whose egg unites with a sperm, producing an embryo.
  3. (Short for) mother of vinegar
sire
The male parent of an animal, especially a domesticated mammal.
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  1. The male parent of an animal, especially a domesticated mammal.
  2. (Archaic) Used as a form of address for a superior, especially a king.
  3. A biological father.
grandsire
The male grandparent of an animal, especially a domesticated animal such as a horse.
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  1. The male grandparent of an animal, especially a domesticated animal such as a horse.
  2. An old man.
  3. Grandfather
forerunner
A predecessor
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  1. A predecessor
  2. One that precedes, as in time; a predecessor.
  3. A person sent before or going before to announce or prepare the way for another or for something to follow; herald
author
A person who makes or originates something; creator; originator
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  1. A person who makes or originates something; creator; originator
  2. One who writes or constructs an electronic document or system, such as a website.
  3. A writer of a book, article, etc.; often specif., a person whose profession is writing books
predecessor
An ancestor; forefather
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  1. An ancestor; forefather
  2. Something that has been succeeded by another:
  3. One who precedes another in time, especially in holding an office or position.
originator
Someone who originates, creates or founds something.
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  1. Someone who originates, creates or founds something.
precursor
A biochemical substance, such as an intermediate compound in a chain of enzymatic reactions, from which a more stable or definitive product is formed:
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  1. A biochemical substance, such as an intermediate compound in a chain of enzymatic reactions, from which a more stable or definitive product is formed:
  2. A person or thing that goes before; forerunner; harbinger
  3. One that precedes and indicates, suggests, or announces someone or something to come:
prototype
An original object or form which is a basis for other objects, forms, or for its models and generalizations
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  1. An original object or form which is a basis for other objects, forms, or for its models and generalizations
  2. The first thing or being of its kind; original; model; pattern; archetype
  3. (Computing) A declaration of a function that specifies the name, return type, and parameters but none of the body, or actual code.
primogenitor
The earliest ancestor.
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  1. The earliest ancestor.
  2. An initial ancestor.
  3. The earliest ancestor of a family, race, etc.
grandfather
(By extension) A male forefather.
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  1. (By extension) A male forefather.
  2. A forefather; an ancestor.
  3. The father of one's father or mother
grandmother
A female ancestor or progenitor.
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  1. A female ancestor or progenitor.
  2. The mother of one's father or mother.
procreator
One who procreates; a father or mother.
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  1. One who procreates; a father or mother.
matriarch
A woman who dominates a group or an activity.
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  1. A woman who dominates a group or an activity.
  2. A mother who rules her family or tribe; specif., a woman who is head of a matriarchy
  3. A highly respected woman who is a mother.
patriarch
Used formerly as a title for the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria.
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  1. Used formerly as a title for the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria.
  2. The father and ruler of a family or tribe, as one of the founders of the ancient Hebrew families: in the Bible, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's twelve sons were patriarchs
  3. A person regarded as the founder or father of a colony, religion, business, etc.
paterfamilias
A man who is the head of a household or the father of a family.
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  1. A man who is the head of a household or the father of a family.
materfamilias
The mother of a family; woman head of a household
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  1. The mother of a family; woman head of a household
relative
(Grammar) A relative pronoun.
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  1. (Grammar) A relative pronoun.
  2. A relative word, term, or thing
  3. A person who is akin to another by virtue of blood; that is a blood relation, such as sister, brother, aunt, uncle, parent, child, and so on. A person who is akin to another by virtue of blood; that is a blood relation, such as sister, brother, aunt, uncle, parent, child, and so on.
begetter
(Figuratively) An originator; a creator.
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  1. (Figuratively) An originator; a creator.
  2. A procreator; one who begets.
founder
A person who founds, or casts, metals, glass, etc.
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  1. A person who founds, or casts, metals, glass, etc.
  2. One who establishes something or formulates the basis for something:
  3. Founding father
kinsman
A relative; esp., a male relative
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  1. A relative; esp., a male relative
  2. A man sharing the same racial, cultural, or national background as another.
kinswoman
A female relative.
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  1. A female relative.
  2. A woman sharing the same racial, cultural, or national background as another.
grandma
(Informal) grandmother
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  1. (Informal) grandmother
  2. The name used for one's grandma
antecedent
One that precedes another.
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  1. One that precedes another.
  2. (Grammar) The word, phrase, or clause that determines what a pronoun refers to, as the children in The teacher asked the children where they were going.
  3. (Gram.) The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
ascendant
The position or state of being dominant or in control:
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  1. The position or state of being dominant or in control:
  2. A dominating position; ascendancy
  3. (Astrol.) The sign of the zodiac just above the eastern horizon at any given moment, specif. at the time of one's birth
father
A man who has begotten a child; esp., a man as he is related to his child or children
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  1. A man who has begotten a child; esp., a man as he is related to his child or children
  2. A man who serves or is thought of as a protector:
  3. An adoptive father
forebear
An ancestor
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  1. An ancestor
  2. A person from whom one is descended; an ancestor.
forefather
An ancestor.
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  1. An ancestor.
  2. Cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.
  3. A person who is from an earlier time and has originated or contributed to a common tradition shared by a particular group.
foremother
A female ancestor
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  1. A female ancestor
  2. A woman ancestor.
mother
A woman who gives birth to a child.
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  1. A woman who gives birth to a child.
  2. A woman whose egg unites with a sperm, producing an embryo.
  3. (Short for) mother of vinegar
parent
A source or cause; an origin:
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  1. A source or cause; an origin:
  2. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm or a male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child or the birth of a child.
  3. A mother or father
predecessor
An ancestor; forefather
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  1. An ancestor; forefather
  2. Something that has been succeeded by another:
  3. One who precedes another in time, especially in holding an office or position.
antecedent
The important events and occurrences in one's early life.
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  1. The important events and occurrences in one's early life.
  2. (Gram.) The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
  3. One's ancestry, past life, training, etc.
forerunner
One that precedes, as in time; a predecessor.
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  1. One that precedes, as in time; a predecessor.
  2. A person sent before or going before to announce or prepare the way for another or for something to follow; herald
  3. A predecessor
precursor
A person or thing that goes before; forerunner; harbinger
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  1. A person or thing that goes before; forerunner; harbinger
  2. A biochemical substance, such as an intermediate compound in a chain of enzymatic reactions, from which a more stable or definitive product is formed:
  3. One that precedes and indicates, suggests, or announces someone or something to come:
predecessor
An ancestor; forefather
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  1. An ancestor; forefather
  2. Something that has been succeeded by another:
  3. One who precedes another in time, especially in holding an office or position.
progenitor
A direct ancestor.
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  1. A direct ancestor.
  2. A forefather; ancestor in direct line
  3. A source from which something develops; originator or precursor
Find another word for ancestor. In this page you can discover 48 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for ancestor, like: progenitor, progenitor, forebear, founder of the family, forefather, parent, father, mother, sire, grandsire and forerunner.

Sentence Examples

  • It was their ancestor who wrote the letters I've got!

  • It's important for 'em to stay here—in the same place where ancestor Annie lived.

  • It was the natural yearning of that portion, any portion of our most primitive ancestor which still survived in us.

  • Possibly there is a trace of ancestor worship even here; but the two usages have diverged.

  • AEACUS, in Greek legend, ancestor of the Aeacidae, was the son of Zeus and Aegina, daughter of the river-god Asopus.

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