as in previous
going before another in time or order
I'd like to follow up on an antecedent question from another reporter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in cause
someone or something responsible for a result
what are the antecedents of the American Revolutionary War?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunner
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the typewriter is the antecedent of the computer keyboard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of antecedent
Hakan Karaosman, Sourcing Journal, 17 Oct. 2024
Relaxed high-altitude winds, the spreading of air aloft and the presence of an antecedent tropical wave all made for the formation of a hurricane — but record-warm water temperatures, reminiscent of September, helped transform the storm into a top-tier tempest.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 2 July 2024
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
But there were antecedents, as Edwards, a sociologist, shows in this book.
—Will Leitch, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antecedent
Adjective
Responsible purchasing is antecedent to fair and equitable decarbonization in the supply chain.
—Hakan Karaosman, Sourcing Journal, 17 Oct. 2024
Relaxed high-altitude winds, the spreading of air aloft and the presence of an antecedent tropical wave all made for the formation of a hurricane — but record-warm water temperatures, reminiscent of September, helped transform the storm into a top-tier tempest.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 2 July 2024
Noun
In the case of Gaza, there is an even earlier antecedent: in 1956, Israel invaded and occupied the Gaza Strip for the very first time, withdrawing after four months.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
But there were antecedents, as Edwards, a sociologist, shows in this book.
—Will Leitch, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antecedent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antecedent
Adjective
-
Lakeside's previous police chief, who also served as mayor, Robert Gordanaire, was fired after he and his daughter, the town clerk, were indicted by a grand jury for selling vehicles belonging to the town and pocketing the profit.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The previous schedule was fixed.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The exact cause of death was not clear and few other details were provided.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Officials won't be able to diagnose the cause of the leak until the pipe is excavated.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The forerunner of British Invasion took the summit of American entertainment, which was a huge deal across generations.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Manufactured between 1960 and 1980, Scouts were beefy 4x4s and a forerunner to the SUV.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s an urge to reconnect with our heritage, and people are undertaking ancestry pilgrimages, combining boots-on-the-ground investigation into family trees and searching for documents in town halls, with discovering the places our ancestors used to call home.—
Alex Ledsom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
So much of these online spaces, social media in particular, are created for community; inside of them, the primary medium is storytelling, and often the same stories are repeated or mimicked, recreating the oral storytelling tradition of our ancestors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Alessandro Michele, at Valentino, was also thinking of how to collide reality and fantasy, staging his collection in nooks inspired by the kaiser panorama, an early 20th century precursor to cinema, in which viewers sat around a circle, staring into a contraption displaying slides.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Passionate about utopian socialism and architecture, Gaudí’s forms and shapes were totally fresh, otherworldly and are sometimes referred to as a precursor of the Surrealist movement, of which Salvador Dalí was a key proponent.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The question is, will the new class of lawmakers finish what their predecessors started?—
Julie Watts,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
As with its predecessor, the Sport can be equipped with either two Volvo Penta D4 Diesel engines (640 hp) or two V8s (860 hp).—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Antecedent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antecedent. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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