antecedent

noun an·te·ced·ent \ ˌan-tə-ˈsē-dᵊnt \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of antecedent

1 grammar : a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun (such as John in "Mary saw John and called to him"); broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute

2 a : a preceding event, condition, or cause

events that were antecedents of the war

b antecedents plural : the significant events, conditions, and traits of one's earlier life

3 a : predecessor; especially : a model or stimulus for later developments

The sackbut was the antecedent of the trombone.

b antecedents plural : ancestors, parents

He was proud of his Scottish antecedents.

4 : the conditional element in a proposition (such as if A in "if A, then B")

5 mathematics : the first term of a mathematical ratio

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Examples of antecedent in a Sentence

“John” is the antecedent of the pronoun “him” in “Mary saw John and thanked him.”
what are the antecedents of the American Revolutionary War?

Recent Examples of antecedent from the Web

Some consider Feinstein an antecedent to Breed, the current board president, who took over as acting mayor after Mayor Ed Lee died of a heart attack in December.

— rachel swan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Feinstein keeping mayor’s race at bay, but will meet with Breed," 3 Apr. 2018
The infrastructure of 5G costs far more than that of its antecedents.

— The Economist, "Mexico switches on its government-run wholesale mobile network," 28 Mar. 2018
Minor changes to the Yaris sedan’s mug relative to its Yaris iA antecedent include a new honeycomb-style grille and available LED headlights.

— greg fink, Car and Driver, "2019 Toyota Yaris Sedan Revealed: iA No More," 27 Mar. 2018
But he was also steeped in its antecedents: Toho monster films, Voltron, decades of sci-fi.

— angela watercutter, WIRED, "Pacific Rim: Uprising," 22 Mar. 2018
Some of the nine songs on the recording have literary antecedents.

— martin johnson, WSJ, "‘Close Up’ Review: Breaking New Ground," 13 Mar. 2018
Certain conservatives posit that the lack of God in public schools is a direct antecedent to school shootings.

— alex siquig, GQ, "Republicans Are Now Suggesting That We Give Teachers Stun Grenades, So Why Stop There?," 1 Mar. 2018
That might lead to a different kind of dystopia (also with historical antecedents): one in which fast, functional transport is available only to those who can pay.

— The Economist, "Why driverless cars may mean jams tomorrow," 20 Jan. 2018
The traits that endeared him to the movement have clear historical antecedents.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Donald Trump Is the Most Pure Conservative President Ever," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antecedent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A basic principle of clear writing is to keep your antecedents clear. Pronouns are often used in order not to repeat a noun (so instead of saying "Sheila turns 22 tomorrow, and Sheila is having a party", we replace the second "Sheila" with "she"). But sloppy writers sometimes leave their antecedents unclear (for instance, "Sheila helps Kathleen out, but she doesn't appreciate it", where it isn't clear who "she" is). Watch out for this possible problem when using not just he and she but also they, them, it, this, *and *that. And keep in mind that antecedent isn't just a grammar term. You may talk about the antecedents of heart disease (such as bad eating habits), the antecedents of World War II (such as the unwise Treaty of Versailles), and even your own antecedents (your mother, grandfather, etc.).

Origin and Etymology of antecedent

Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin antecedent-, antecedens, from Latin, what precedes, from neuter of antecedent-, antecedens, present participle of antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go

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First Known Use: 15th century

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antecedent Synonyms

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

antecedent

adjective

Definition of antecedent

: prior

antecedent events

—

antecedently

adverb

See antecedent defined for English-language learners

Examples of antecedent in a Sentence

I'd like to follow up on an antecedent question from another reporter.

Origin and Etymology of antecedent

see ¹antecedent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

antecedent Synonyms

Synonyms

anterior, foregoing, former, precedent, preceding, previous, prior;

Antonyms

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

Near Antonyms

advanced, late;

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

Related Words

advance, early, premature;

earliest, first, inaugural, initial, maiden, original, pioneer;

preexisting;

introductory, preliminary;

erstwhile, whilom;

Synonym Discussion of antecedent

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

ANTECEDENT Defined for English Language Learners

antecedent

noun

Definition of antecedent for English Language Learners

grammar : a word or phrase that is represented by another word (such as a pronoun)
: something that came before something else and may have influenced or caused it
antecedents : the people in a family who lived in past times