ANTECESSOR Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

antecessor

noun

Definition of antecessor

as in predecessor

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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 downfall of his predecessor, longtime Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan, began with women angered by his handling of #MeToo incidents involving his campaign and government staff in 2017 and 2018.

— Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
But Tshisekedi’s predecessor, Joseph Kabila, still stayed in office for two years after his final term expired.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of predecessor

Noun

Very charming to think of our ancient ancestors getting the munchies.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Throughout the region, remains of 5,500 ancestors that were displaced have been made available for return to the Tohono O’odham Nation, according to ProPublica’s NAGPRA database.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

The Sentinel’s progenitor — the Orange County Reporter — leaned hard into the region’s identity, tied inexorably to citrus (which lent itself nicely to the paper’s celebratory beer release with Ten10 Brewing earlier this year).

— Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
Inoue’s device—the progenitor to the modern-day karaoke machine—was a success.

— Skyli Alvarez, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of progenitor

Noun

Her grandfather, William Francis Gibbs, designed the SS United States and played a major role in bringing the historic vessel to life.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
As a search party combed through the South Carolina woods near the home of the baby’s grandfather, a patch of freshly disturbed dirt covered with pine straw caught their attention.

— Holly Yan, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Emeril Lagasse is a legend in the food industry and is seen by many as one of the forefathers of television food personalities and food programming.

— Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2026
The 17th-century Georgian stone building is now Hamilton House, a museum that houses documents from the famous forefather’s early years and features exhibits honoring other Caribbean personalities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of forefather

Noun

As my generation of veterans—millennials born between 1981 and 1996—attain positions of power, we are presented with the same responsibility to lead during tumultuous times that our forebears faced.

— Brandon J Archuleta, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026
Adults is the exact sort of show that’s fun to look forward to weekly, and develop discourse and memes over time, and would place it firmly in the lineage of its weekly release forebears like New Girl.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 11 Nov. 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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antecessor

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“Antecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antecessor. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of antecessor

noun

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