adjective
prehistoric
adjective
1
Belonging to the time before humans kept written records.
"Archaeologists found prehistoric tools buried in the cave."
"The museum has a whole wing devoted to prehistoric life."
2
Extremely old-fashioned or outdated (used loosely, often humorously).
"My uncle still uses a prehistoric flip phone."
"That software looks positively prehistoric compared to modern apps."
How to Use Prehistoric
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLiterally "before written history," but often used casually to mean "ancient" or "hopelessly outdated."
Common pairings
prehistoric times
prehistoric era
prehistoric creature
Word Forms
more prehistoric comparative, most prehistoric superlative
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Etymology
From pre- ("before") plus historic.