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forebears

NOUN
antecedent(s)
Synonyms
WEAK
ancestor ancestry antecessor blood descent extraction forefather foremother genealogy line primogenitor progenitor stock
Antonyms
WEAK
descendant
NOUN
birth
Synonyms
STRONG
ancestry background blood breeding derivation descent extraction genealogy legacy line lineage parentage pedigree position race rank station status stock strain
WEAK
heritance
Antonyms
WEAK
conclusion death end ending finish
NOUN
family
Synonyms
STRONGEST
clan folk group house household people tribe
STRONG
ancestors ancestry birth blood brood children class descendants descent dynasty extraction genealogy generations genre in-laws inheritance issue kind kindred line lineage network parentage pedigree progenitors progeny race relations relationship relatives siblings strain subdivision system
WEAK
heirs and assigns kith and kin menage ménage
Antonyms
STRONG
parent
NOUN
lineage
Synonyms
STRONGEST
clan descent genealogy origin pedigree
STRONG
birth blood breed descendants extraction family folk heredity house kin kindred line offspring progenitors progeny race stock succession tribe
WEAK
stirps
Antonyms
STRONG
parent
NOUN
menage
Synonyms
STRONG
ancestors ancestry birth blood brood children clan class descendants descent dynasty extraction folk genealogy generations genre group house household in-laws inheritance issue kind kindred line lineage network parentage pedigree people progenitors progeny race relations relationship relatives siblings strain subdivision system tribe
WEAK
heirs and assigns kith and kin ménage
Antonyms
STRONG
parent
NOUN
stock
Synonyms
STRONG
background breed clan descent extraction family folk house kin kindred line lineage parentage pedigree race species strain tribe type variety
WEAK
line of descent
Antonyms
WEAK
fact truth

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.

Community members sometimes take their children to Maitama, now one of Abuja's most expensive neighbourhoods, to show them where their forebears lived.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The younger Windsors are eschewing the grinding rounds of endless ribbon-cutting their forebears engaged in to try to make fewer, more high-impact interventions heralded to the nation via social media.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

“Lido Shuffle” appears to have two musical forebears: Fats Domino’s shuffle rhythms and Jim Croce’s “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Moreover, her forebears fought in the Revolutionary War.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2025

The colt was a descendant of the mighty Man o’ War through his sire, the brilliantly fast, exceptionally handsome Hard Tack, but his stunted build reflected none of the beauty and breadth of his forebears.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand