as in preparatory
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
in prefatory remarks he offered his own definition of "civilization", a word subject to a variety of interpretations
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Recent Examples of prefatory
The prefatory pause gives the audience a chance to applaud a starry ensemble.
—
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Could be that fans were simply exhausted by all the prefatory ugliness that led up to Washington’s first playoff victory in 18 years, but anyone who tuned out early missed a hell of a star turn from the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Could be that fans were simply exhausted by all the prefatory ugliness that led up to Washington’s first playoff victory in 18 years, but anyone who tuned out early missed a hell of a star turn from the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefatory
Adjective
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The Champions Trophy exit was equally passive after a dreadful showing in the preparatory bilateral series against India.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Midday Friday, the military changed course, marking the latest escalation after weeks of preparatory strikes in some of the city’s neighborhoods and calling up tens of thousands of reservists.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Rodrigo’s introductory project is now up to 224 weeks on the main albums tally and streaming roster, but only 196 turns on the all-encompassing sales list.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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There’s a simmering rage and self-loathing to Blakey, which Latif matches in the form of unpredictable camera motion, but these introductory moments are about as energetic as the movie ever gets.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But officials expressed caution due to the preliminary nature of the investigation.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Whether the preliminary August reading of an anemic 22,000 jobs added to the economy holds true remains to be seen.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prefatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefatory. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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