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

Vahidi, who assumed the role after his predecessor Mohammad Pakpour was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war, is rarely seen in public.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
The elaborate funeral of his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, was also orchestrated to demonstrate leadership continuity in 1989.

— Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 July 2026

Definition of predecessor

Noun

And discovering Grace Paley’s work was like discovering an ancestor.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
In between Amos’s lines, In Times of Dragons is a saga of survival introducing different muses along the way, from a real-life ancestor, a martyr who fell in love with Jesus, and a group of rugged women.

— Tina Eves, SPIN, 13 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 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of antecessor

noun

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