prehistoric
- 01 B1 Intermediate
relating to the time thousands of years ago before humans began to write down their history.
relating to or denoting the period before written records existed. Usually non-gradable in its scientific sense.
Simple“Archaeologists found prehistoric tools made of stone and bone in the deep cave.”
In context“The museum's new wing features an extensive collection of prehistoric artifacts, providing insight into human life before the advent of written language.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
very old-fashioned or out of date, often in a way that seems funny or annoying.
extremely old-fashioned, antiquated, or obsolete. Often used with hyperbolic or humorous intent.
Simple“My grandfather still uses a prehistoric mobile phone that can only send texts.”
In context“The office was still relying on a prehistoric filing system that made retrieving simple client data an unnecessarily arduous task.”
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage prehistoric communities · prehistoric people
From pre- (“before”) + historic, q.v., similar to slightly earlier ante-historic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.