PRE CURSORS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

precursors

noun

plural of precursor

as in forerunners

one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another 18th-century lyric poets like Robert Burns were precursors of the Romantics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in ancestors

something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed a precursor of the modern eggplant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 precursors Such engravings, which depict the wackily maximalist style à la mode, including oodles of feathers and furbelows, were, in essence, early precursors to modern fashion magazines. —

Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 Fixing Li-ion battery limits The method works under ambient conditions and relies on simple precursors. —

Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Mar. 2026 To be sure, the other precursors were all over the place, with Sinners’ Mosaku winning BAFTA, One Battle’s Teyana Taylor winning the Golden Globe and Sentimental Value’s Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas winning some big critics prizes. —

Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026 Scientists at Colossal have cultivated primordial germ cells — early precursors to sperm and egg cells — from the pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative. —

Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026 Scientists at the company have cultivated primordial germ cells — early precursors to sperm and egg cells — from the pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative. —

Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 16 Mar. 2026 For all the statistics, precursors and narratives that shape the race, the Academy still has a way of reminding everyone that the story isn’t finished until the final envelope is opened. —

Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026 Through transforming domestic coal ash into high-value industrial materials, the company is creating downstream manufacturing of end-products such as paper and paper products, textiles, building and construction materials, carbon fiber precursors, automobile parts, airplane parts, and more. —

Nick Franck, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026 Follow the precursors, and Michael Bauman wins. —

Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursors

Noun

The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
These were the forerunners of today’s robots.

— Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026