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 The company says its indigo process uses soluble precursors that oxidize into insoluble pigment within the textile, avoiding the chemical reduction step used in conventional indigo dyeing. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 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 The coal and steel organization was the first among European institutions that were precursors to what eventually became the European Union. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 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

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
What began as a personal offering to her ancestors evolved into a recognizable symbol of cultural visibility across the city.

— Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestors

Noun

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
Related What were once blips on the modern music timeline now feel like harbingers of things to come for 2027.

— Leila Cobo, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of harbingers

Noun

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
None of Wiseman’s institutional portraits have the voices of angels talking to the guy in charge.

— Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of precursors

noun

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