Synonyms of prologue

prologue

noun

ˈprō-ˌlȯg 

variants also prolog

1

as in prelude

a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event

unfortunately, the burglary, which he committed while still a teen, was but a prologue to a wasted life of crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prelude
• preliminary
• overture
• preamble
• curtain-raiser
• warm-up
• lead-in
• countdown
• start
• kickoff
• run-up

2

as in introduction

a short section (as of a book) that leads to or explains the main part

a brief prologue sets the scene for the story that follows

Synonyms & Similar Words

• introduction
• preface
• foreword
• intro
• prelude
• preamble
• exordium
• proem
• beginning
• prolusion
• start
• initiation
• outset
• commencement
• opening
• origin
• origination

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• epilogue
• postscript
• aftermath
• end
• conclusion
• closing
• finale
• finish
• termination
• close
• envoi
• stop
• cessation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prologue

The preview started with the game’s prologue event, an introductory affair Horizon players have come to expect. —Adam Ismail, The Drive, 8 Apr. 2026

Anyone who watched The Handmaid’s Tale — and I’d wager that’s nearly everyone here — knows this, which is what makes its reiteration in the prologue to The Testaments so menacing. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026

The prologue that opens Ragtime loudly announces the musical’s epic ambitions as its nine fictional characters and six of its historical figures introduce themselves with third-person narration and shout-singing. —Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026

At the close of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which, incidentally, features an admirable character called Bottom the Weaver), a play is to be performed for Duke Theseus and his bride, the Amazon Hippolyta, with a prologue spoken by the director. —Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026