PREDECESSOR Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

predecessor

noun

ˈpre-də-ˌse-sər

Definition of predecessor

as in forerunner

something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed the once-ubiquitous typewriter was the predecessor of today's electronic keyboard

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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 predecessor The last few weeks have shown his governing style and a remarkable run of papal decision-making where Leo has set the agenda, rather than merely fulfill the appointments set by his predecessor. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 Part of what sets ERNEST apart from its predecessors are its novel wheels and active suspension system. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 5 July 2026 Rutte’s predecessor, Stoltenberg, has written in his memoir about chairing a 2018 summit that Trump nearly upended. — Lorne Cook, Fortune, 5 July 2026 On Friday the coffin was laid in state in the great prayer hall built to honour his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for predecessor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessor

Noun

The city had a history of assimilating such yearners, most notably Madonna, Swift’s forerunner and her own Middle American transplant success story.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
The group, which includes Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen, is becoming a forerunner in the promising progress of a new type of vehicle battery.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 June 2026

Definition of forerunner

Noun

And discovering Grace Paley’s work was like discovering an ancestor.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
In between Amos’s lines, In Times of Dragons is a saga of survival introducing different muses along the way, from a real-life ancestor, a martyr who fell in love with Jesus, and a group of rugged women.

— Tina Eves, SPIN, 13 July 2026

Definition of ancestor

Noun

For example, a single enrichment run could routinely produce ytterbium-176, the precursor used to manufacture lutetium-177 (Lu-177).

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
The faction’s precursors backed ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad’s son-in-law and cousin, immediately after Muhammad’s death in 632.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026

Definition of precursor

Browse Nearby Words

predeceasing

predecessor

predecessors

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“Predecessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessor. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of predecessor

noun

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