preexisting

adjective

pre·​ex·​ist·​ing ˌprē-ig-ˈzi-stiŋ 

: existing at an earlier time

a preexisting medical condition

Examples of preexisting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Experts warn that snow shoveling can pose serious health risks, particularly for older adults and those with preexisting conditions. —Manahil Ahmad, The Providence Journal, 23 Feb. 2026

Our protocols allow for involuntary seizure but the better alternative, by far, is to leave a rogue male in his preexisting habitat, avoiding the trauma of relocation and setting him up for return visits from multiple females. —Literary Hub, 3 Feb. 2026

As arrests and detentions have climbed, so too have reports of people taken to hospitals by immigration agents because of illness or injury — due to preexisting conditions or problems stemming from their arrest or detention. —Kff Health News, Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026

Cinch also covers unknown preexisting conditions, which many competitors exclude. —Alora Bopray, USA Today, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preexisting

• coexisting
• unresisting
• assisting
• blacklisting
• consisting
• delisting
• enlisting
• existing
• insisting
• persisting
• resisting
• subsisting

Medical Definition

preexisting

adjective

pre·​ex·​ist·​ing ˌprē-ig-ˈzi-stiŋ 

variants or pre-existing

: existing or present earlier or before a certain point of time

In 1990, over 60 percent of group health insurance plans contained exclusions of coverage for preexisting conditions, signifying the denial of benefits for any illness present at the time the insurance is obtained.

—Thomas Bodenheimer, in The New England Journal of Medicine