precursory

adjective

as in preparatory
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows instantly recognized that chilled feeling as one of the precursory symptoms of a cold

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 precursory This precursory knowledge came in handy when flipping through Assayas’ and Emmanuel Carrère’s Kremlin script. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursory
  1. preparatory
  2. preliminary
  3. introductory
Adjective
  • The drawing may have been made as a preparatory study to show a prospective patron before Canaletto completed a related painting.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Canaletto expert Charles Beddington authenticated the drawing, which was likely a preparatory sketch for a painting last sold in 1995 for $354,000 (about $766,000 in today’s dollars).
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of preparatory
Adjective
  • Attendees asked engineers to provide preliminary cost estimates for street lighting running from the stadium connection north to Swepco Road.
    — Randy Moll, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In a statement, police said the preliminary investigation indicates that a fight broke out prior to the shooting.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of preliminary
Adjective
  • The basic model of competitive markets which one finds in an introductory economics textbook—where independent firms engage in cold arm’s-length transactions motivated by unadulterated self-interest—does not apply to the industry.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • JetBlue is offering some introductory fares for BlueFirst seats for select flights, including a $299 flight from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, a $249 option from New York to Fort Lauderdale and a $299 option from New York to Liberia, Costa Rica.
    — Maggie Roth, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of introductory

Browse Nearby Words

precursors
precursory
predaceous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Precursory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precursory. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All