antecedent

1 of 2

noun

an·​te·​ced·​ent ˌan-tə-ˈsē-dᵊnt 

plural antecedents

1

grammar : a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun that typically follows the substantive (such as John in "Maria saw John and called to him")

A French pronoun must agree in gender and number with its antecedent.

broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute

2

a

: a preceding event, condition, or cause

events that were antecedents of the war

People do things because an antecedent prompts that behavior.

—George Bradt

b

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

… he had been taught how to soldier in the French colonial paratroops … and he was proud of his antecedents.

—Neil Sheehan

3

a

: predecessor

especially : a model or stimulus for later developments

The harpsichord was the antecedent of the piano.

… a tasting menu that underscores the debt New Orleans cuisine owes West African and Caribbean antecedents.

—Brett Anderson

b

antecedents plural : ancestors, parents

He was researching 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

antecedent

2 of 2

adjective

: prior

antecedent events

antecedently adverb

Did you know?

A basic principle of good writing is to keep your antecedents clear. Pronouns are useful when you want to avoid repeating a noun; for example, instead of saying "Noah Webster published his first dictionary in 1806, and Noah Webster published his second dictionary in 1828," we replace the second "Noah Webster" with "he." But writers sometimes leave their antecedents unclear: in "Noah Webster and Samuel Johnson both wrote dictionaries, but his was bigger," it is unclear whose dictionary was bigger. (It was Webster's.) This problem can occur not only with he and she but also with they, them, it, this, those, and that. And keep in mind too that antecedent isn't just a grammar term. The antecedents of an event are what preceded, or led up to, the event, and your own antecedents are your parents and ancestors. The word has distinct meanings in math and logic as well.

Synonyms of antecedent

Noun

• cause

Adjective

• previous

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of antecedent in a Sentence

Noun

“John” is the antecedent of the pronoun “him” in “Mary saw John and thanked him.”

what are the antecedents of the American Revolutionary War?

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

My poem works by multisequencing; in each of the three book-sections there are four narratives, and the reader must gather each piece of the narrative as it unspools and connect it to its antecedents—that yields compression. —Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 23 Oct. 2025

Philip Roth and David Foster Wallace come to mind as antecedents, though Tulathimutte has their wit without their warmth. —Book Marks july 17, Literary Hub, 17 July 2025

Adjective

The antecedent one insider provides: When camcorders first emerged in the early 1980s, studios responded to new piracy threats by slapping on disclaimers warning of criminal prosecution if users went to the theater to videotape their movies. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025

The realities of holding on to a job or keeping a company alive supersede any antecedent personal ethics. —Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for antecedent

• precedent

Kids Definition

antecedent

1 of 2 noun

an·​te·​ced·​ent ˌant-ə-ˈsēd-ənt 

1

: a noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

in "the house that we live in," "house" is the antecedent of "that"

2

: an event or cause coming before something

3

plural : one's ancestors or parents

antecedent

2 of 2 adjective

: coming earlier in time or order

antecedently adverb

Legal Definition

antecedent

adjective

an·​te·​ce·​dent

ˌan-tə-ˈsēd-ᵊnt

: earlier in time or order