preceding

pre·ced·ing

adjective \pri-ˈsē-diŋ\

Definition of PRECEDING

: existing, coming, or occurring immediately before in time or place <the preceding day> <preceding paragraphs>

Examples of PRECEDING

1. The preceding week he had been on vacation.
2. <had not eaten since the preceding day>
3. The once refulgent reign of Queen Elizabeth had come to a stale and frustrated end in the preceding year, and a new monarch had been imported from Scotland … —Christopher Hitchens, New York Times Book Review, 18 May 2003
4. The building code, layered with attempts to correct the ignorance of preceding generations, is a set of rules for coping with some of the most unruly moods of the land: mudslides, wildfires, steep slopes, a dearth of water and a surfeit of seismic activity. —Timothy Egan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 1994
5. I have had a fever of about three weeks during the last and preceding month, from which I am entirely recovered except as to strength. —Thomas Jefferson, letter, 4 Sept. 1823

Origin of PRECEDING

(see precede)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to PRECEDING

Synonyms

antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, precedent, previous, prior

Antonyms

after, ensuing, following, later, posterior, subsequent, succeeding

Related Words

advance, early, premature; earliest, first, inaugural, initial, maiden, original, pioneer; preexisting; introductory, preliminary; erstwhile, whilom

Near Antonyms

advanced, late; closing, concluding, final, last, latest, latter, terminal, ultimate

Synonym Discussion of PRECEDING

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before. preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place <the preceding sentence>. antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation <conditions antecedent to the revolution>. foregoing applies chiefly to statements <the foregoing remarks>. previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance <a child from a previous marriage> <a prior obligation>. former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter <the former name of the company>. anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order <the anterior lobe of the brain>.

Rhymes with PRECEDING

inbreeding, linebreeding, lipreading, outbreeding, proceeding, speed-reading