antedate

1 of 2

noun

an·​te·​date ˈan-ti-ˌdāt How to pronounce antedate (audio)
: a date assigned to an event or document earlier than the actual date of the event or document

antedate

2 of 2

verb

an·​te·​date ˈan-ti-ˌdāt How to pronounce antedate (audio)
ˌan-ti-ˈdāt
antedated; antedating; antedates

transitive verb

1
a
: to date as of a time prior to that of execution
b
: to assign to a date prior to that of actual occurrence
2
archaic : anticipate
3
: to precede in time

Did you know?

Dinosaurs antedated the first human beings by almost 65 million years, though this stubborn fact never used to stop cartoonists and screenwriters from having the two species inhabit the same story line. Dictionary editors are constantly noticing how the oral use of a word may antedate its first appearance in print by a number of years. Antedating a check or a contract isn't illegal unless it's done for the purpose of fraud (the same is true of its opposite, postdating).

Examples of antedate in a Sentence

Verb The church antedates the village itself. dinosaurs antedate humans by millions of years
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In truth, however, Italy’s migration policies antedate Salvini by at least two years, and represent an ugly consensus generally if more quietly shared by many powers in the EU. Ben Ehrenreich, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2019 His theatrically posed male nudes were antedated by George Platt Lynes’s. Arthur Lubow, New York Times, 25 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antedate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of antedate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near antedate

Cite this Entry

“Antedate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antedate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

antedate

verb
an·​te·​date
ˈant-i-ˌdāt
1
: to date with a date earlier than that of actual writing
antedate a check
2
: to come before in time
automobiles antedate airplanes
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