PRECURSORS 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 These store openings follow two Simkhai pop-ups — at Galeries Lafayette in Paris and La Rinascente in Milan — that were precursors to Simkhai’s international push. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2026 Fresh precursors can be pumped in through the veins, and one day they might be partly gathered from the environment. — New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2026 Should tens of thousands of American lives have been saved as a result of decisions made about fentanyl precursors in China, the implications are massive. — J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 Just as concerning, the pair may run into the same eligibility issues at the precursors as Seyfried. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 The three have also introduced tax plans that could be precursors to 2028 platforms. — Jared Ochacher, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 Kiwi Light enough not to burden digestion, kiwi contains natural serotonin precursors and some research links it to faster sleep onset. — Patsy Anthony, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026 The forms are precursors to those Kairos Power and construction partner Barnard Construction plan to use for portions of the Hermes reactor facility. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 Ng, who is Jo Henderson’s oncologist, noted that her previous research found that women who ate more ultraprocessed foods had a higher risk of colon polyps that can be precursors to cancer. — Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursors

Noun

Rather than try to replicate his forerunners’ styles of success, Ternus has so far played to his own strengths—which are also those of Apple, a company that first and foremost builds beautiful products that spark productivity, creativity, and joy.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of forerunners

Noun

Marshall’s ancestors were among the earliest members of the Followers, whose history dates to the late 1800s, when faith-healing sects were active in the Midwest.

— Noelle Crombie, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
Very charming to think of our ancient ancestors getting the munchies.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of ancestors

Noun

In Korea and Japan, for example, robots are viewed as reliable, time-saving helpers, not professional rivals or harbingers of doom.

— Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026
The hottest topics waffle between Nick Sirianni’s job security and the treatment of Jalen Hurts’ blood clots, none exactly harbingers of good news.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of harbingers

Noun

Men are not angels, and neither are the people spending your money.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Nov. 2026
His garment is sunlit and he is surrounded by blue sky populated with angels and saints who seem to be in movement, floating on the breezes of the high mountain air.

— Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of angels

Noun

Chemically destroying the channel in adult mouse osteocytes accelerated signs of aging far beyond the skeleton, affecting the brain, liver, and muscles.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
How can two people build their own language based on emotions, based on signs.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of signs

Noun

The comedy-drama heralds from Adeel Ahmed and writer-director Batra’s film and TV outfit Poetic License, and is being produced in partnership with Jio Studios (Dhurandhar), and Good Chaos (Ballad Of A Small Player).

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
Chain bookselling, which enabled the unification of the reading market, was one of the first heralds of a globalizing age.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of heralds

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“Precursors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precursors. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of precursors

noun

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