prehistorical

prehistorical — adjective

  • prehistoricalpositive
  • more prehistoricalcomparative
  • most prehistoricalsuperlative

1. belonging to the very old period of human existence before people developed writ

1.形容詞B2
釋義

belonging to the very old period of human existence before people developed writing and kept written records — used of ancient humans, animals, tools, and art from that era.

例句

The museum has a room full of prehistorical tools made from stone and bone.

attributive before concrete noun 'tools'

Beatrix studied prehistorical cave paintings in southern France for her research project.

attributive before noun phrase 'cave paintings'

同義詞
  • prehistoric

    the far more common form; 'prehistorical' is a rarer variant with the same meaning

  • ancient

    broader range — can refer to any old period, including classical antiquity, not just before writing

  • primeval

    refers to the very earliest ages of the earth, often before humans existed

反義詞
  • historical

    belonging to a period for which written records exist

  • modern

    belonging to the present or recent times

文法句型

prehistorical + noun

常見錯誤

❌This rock is prehistorical.
✅This rock is from prehistorical times.
💡'prehistorical' describes the period, not individual items; use a phrase to connect items to the era.

2. so old-fashioned, outdated, or primitive that something seems to belong to a ver

2.形容詞C1
釋義

so old-fashioned, outdated, or primitive that something seems to belong to a very distant, undeveloped past — used humorously or critically to describe technology, ideas, or practices.

例句

My grandfather still uses a prehistorical mobile phone that cannot even send text messages.

humorous use describing old technology

Vinícius laughed at the prehistorical computer in the basement that used floppy disks.

同義詞
  • prehistoric

    the more common spelling for this informal figurative sense

  • outdated

    neutral and factual, no humorous tone

  • archaic

    more formal; describes language, laws, or customs that are no longer current

  • antiquated

    formal; suggests something is not just old, but no longer suitable

反義詞

文法句型

prehistorical + noun

be prehistorical

用法筆記

This sense is informal and often humorous or sarcastic. The standard spelling for 'extremely old-fashioned' is almost always 'prehistoric' rather than 'prehistorical'. Use with care in formal writing.

常見錯誤

❌The company uses prehistorical methods in its factory.
✅The company uses prehistoric methods in its factory.
💡The variant 'prehistoric' is the standard choice for this figurative sense in modern English.