antediluvian

[ an-tee-di-loo-vee-uhn ]
See synonyms for: antediluvianantediluvians on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Genesis 7, 8.

  2. very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive: antediluvian ideas.

noun
  1. a person who lived before the Flood.

  2. a very old or old-fashioned person or thing.

Origin of antediluvian

1
First recorded in 1640–50; ante- + Latin dīluvi(um) “a flood, deluge” + -an;see origin at deluge

Words Nearby antediluvian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use antediluvian in a sentence

  • But I also find the petrified vertebra of an antediluvian animal upon which the Trojans have carved a large owls head.

    Troy and its Remains | Henry (Heinrich) Schliemann
  • And we may fairly surmise that this Accadian culture (if such it be) is reflected from antediluvian tradition.

    Needlework As Art | Marian Alford
  • Been a long ride for ye, ain't it, ye old antediluvian handful of animated carpet-tacks?

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • I felt as if we were inside the skeleton of some antediluvian monster whose huge black ribs completely enfolded us.

British Dictionary definitions for antediluvian

antediluvian

/ (ˌæntɪdɪˈluːvɪən, -daɪ-) /


adjective
  1. belonging to the ages before the biblical Flood (Genesis 7, 8)

  2. old-fashioned or antiquated

noun
  1. an antediluvian person or thing

Origin of antediluvian

1
C17: from ante- + Latin dīluvium flood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012