prerevolutionary
adjective
pre·rev·o·lu·tion·ary
ˌprē-ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē 
variants
or pre-revolutionary
: of, relating to, or being a time before a revolution
prerevolutionary society
in prerevolutionary France
the prerevolutionary period/era
The pre-revolutionary writings of Lenin and Stalin are filled with discussions of the Nationality Question.—
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick MoynihanExamples of prerevolutionary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Its plot concerns a large cast of characters undergoing radical metamorphoses: prerevolutionary drunkards become postrevolutionary zealots, simple peasants become shrewd military commanders, and MEK fighters become the regime’s number one enemy.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
The scale models of ships and planes that children would build in youth centers emphasized the historical continuity of Russian and Soviet technological breakthroughs, implicitly undermining the official narrative of the Bolshevik Revolution’s radical break from the prerevolutionary era.
—Alexey Golubev, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Fans brought flags stripped of the national emblem, or versions bearing the insignia of prerevolutionary Iran, to games.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2022
The year began with Israel’s first stable government in years, Iran in a prerevolutionary situation, and a stable Iraq.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
But Wilder points out that in Hamilton’s student days at King’s College (Columbia’s prerevolutionary name), his fees were paid by a merchant to whom he had been apprenticed on the island of Saint Croix and who got rich by supplying Caribbean plantations with mules, flour, and slaves.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022
More important, the sources indicate a drastic decline in arrivals during the postrevolutionary decades compared to prerevolutionary America.
—Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Jan. 2022
The center, once a picturesque medley of prerevolutionary architecture and early 20th-century brick buildings, has been bereft of people apart from a few testing their luck in the streets to buy provisions or take care of relatives.
—Thomas Grove, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2022
Starting in prerevolutionary Russia, a new approach to theater insisted on truth — as opposed to eloquence, bravura or technical skill — as the highest value in acting.
—New York Times, 7 Dec. 2021
Amir Ahmadi Arian, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
The scale models of ships and planes that children would build in youth centers emphasized the historical continuity of Russian and Soviet technological breakthroughs, implicitly undermining the official narrative of the Bolshevik Revolution’s radical break from the prerevolutionary era.
—Alexey Golubev, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Fans brought flags stripped of the national emblem, or versions bearing the insignia of prerevolutionary Iran, to games.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2022
The year began with Israel’s first stable government in years, Iran in a prerevolutionary situation, and a stable Iraq.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
But Wilder points out that in Hamilton’s student days at King’s College (Columbia’s prerevolutionary name), his fees were paid by a merchant to whom he had been apprenticed on the island of Saint Croix and who got rich by supplying Caribbean plantations with mules, flour, and slaves.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022
More important, the sources indicate a drastic decline in arrivals during the postrevolutionary decades compared to prerevolutionary America.
—Sean Wilentz, The New York Review of Books, 13 Jan. 2022
The center, once a picturesque medley of prerevolutionary architecture and early 20th-century brick buildings, has been bereft of people apart from a few testing their luck in the streets to buy provisions or take care of relatives.
—Thomas Grove, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2022
Starting in prerevolutionary Russia, a new approach to theater insisted on truth — as opposed to eloquence, bravura or technical skill — as the highest value in acting.
—New York Times, 7 Dec. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prerevolutionary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Prerevolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prerevolutionary. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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