Meaning & use

prehistoric

adjective·Academic

Relating to the very distant past, before humans began keeping written historical records.

See it in a sentence

The museum displayed the bones of a prehistoric creature that lived millions of years ago.

Cave paintings offer a rare glimpse into prehistoric life and beliefs.

A note on using this word

Informally, 'prehistoric' can jokingly describe something extremely old-fashioned, as in 'his prehistoric flip phone'.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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