forefather
2 synonyms and 2 antonyms for forefather, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A member of your family who lived a long time before you.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Antonyms
Etymology
Came from Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English forefæder (“forefather”), though it may also have merged with Old Norse forfaðir; it is equivalent to fore- + father. Compare Dutch voorvader (“forefather”), German Vorvater, Vorfahr (“forefather”), Danish forfader (“forefather”) and Swedish förfa...
Full origin of forefather →