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

He and Titans predecessor Derrick Henry are the only players on a current streak of four.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Landry was crowned Miss USA in 1996, taking on the crown from predecessor Shanna Moakler.

— Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of predecessor

Noun

The group includes people whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
The Maori tell a story about how a godwit showed their ancestors the way from their ancient homeland of Hawaiki to New Zealand, more than a thousand miles away.

— Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

Art Bar, Riverwest This list wouldn't be complete without the progenitor of the genre in Milwaukee.

— Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 21 Aug. 2026
So perhaps a certain signaling molecule preferentially accumulates more on one side of a neural progenitor cell than the other.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 13 July 2026

Definition of progenitor

Noun

Nearly a century after his great-grandfathers played college football, USC freshman defensive lineman Luke Wafle is emerging as a generational talent.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
To Diana, who has taken over First Desk at the Park after last season’s events, River’s refusal to take bereavement leave gives her license to speak about his grandfather’s funeral arrangements with her usual cool formality.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of grandfather

Noun

Many progressives and political experts cite Sanders, the Senate's only democratic socialist member, as the forefather of the movement that has toppled several longtime Democratic incumbents across the nation this year.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026
Wulf pays overdue homage to an intellectual titan and forefather of linguistics and natural history.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

Definition of forefather

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 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of antecessor

noun

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