ANTECESSOR Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

antecessor

noun

Definition of antecessor

as in predecessor

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of antecessor Like Homo antecessor, the Casablanca fossils have a mix of characteristics from Homo erectus, ourselves and our cousins. — CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for antecessor

Noun

The former Manchester mayor has presented himself as Labour’s savior after many grim months of public polling showed his predecessor was suffering the lowest approval ratings of any British premier in history.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026
In fact, four of the six British prime ministers in the past decade took the top job by winning internal party leadership contests to replace their predecessors, not by public vote.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026

Definition of predecessor

Noun

At some point in the mid-1850s, the river Padma suddenly carved a new path through the village of his ancestors in modern-day Bangladesh, flooding their homes and scattering them across the Indian subcontinent.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
All across the United States, federal soldiers rounded up our Native American ancestors like cattle, pushing them into prison camps, many of which later became reservations.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

When Intocable lead singer and founding member Ricky Muñoz was growing up in Zapata, Texas, his grandfather sold a cow to buy him an accordion.

— Ernesto Lechner, Variety, 16 July 2026
Further inside, a fragment of a gate has a for-sale sign, candles, guayaberas and two colorful chairs — like memories from a grandfather’s house.

— Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Over the years, a number of prominent mathematicians tried to prove this guess of their forebears.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 July 2026
Their trajectories have diverged and sometimes overlapped in the 125 years since their forebears moved through the same dusty streets on one November day.

— CBS News, CBS News, 12 July 2026

Definition of forebear

Noun

Mike Brown said the digital driver license is the forebearer of discriminating against the unvaccinated.

— Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Feb. 2022
If successful, The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, named in honor of its famous nautical forebearer and known as MAS for short, will be the first such trans-Atlantic voyage by an autonomous vessel.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2021

Definition of forebearer

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anteceding

antecessor

antecessors

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“Antecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antecessor. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of antecessor

noun

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