as in forerunners
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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Recent Examples of predecessors
With all of the appeal of a hiking boot in a smaller, lighter form factor, these Danner Trail 2650s pay homage to their beefier boot predecessors, just with some additional modern touches.
—
Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models have a camera island that stretches across the entire top, back side of the phone as well as a new unibody frame that makes the phones feel both more robust and larger than their predecessors.
—Bob O’Donnell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Ishiba’s predecessors have issued statements on the legacy of World War II.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
These prices are consistent with their predecessors.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
For the patrimony prize, which covers jewelry remaining in a house’s patrimonial collection, Raybaud chose 2020 as the cut-off date, to allow newer signatures to take part on an equal footing to their centuries-old predecessors.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
These target specific companies have learned what works and what doesn’t from their SaaS predecessors.
—Barry Libert, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Even so, given the math, compromise and coalition are the only ways forward if Lecornu hopes to succeed where his predecessors – both appointed for their strengths in these areas – failed.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The Times analyzed how numerous blockbusters — almost all of them sequels or IP adaptations — fell short of their predecessors, and how only two weekends out of this summer surpassed $300 million cumulative at the North American box office.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
On the other hand, the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models have a camera island that stretches across the entire top, back side of the phone as well as a new unibody frame that makes the phones feel both more robust and larger than their predecessors.
—Bob O’Donnell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Ishiba’s predecessors have issued statements on the legacy of World War II.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
These prices are consistent with their predecessors.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
For the patrimony prize, which covers jewelry remaining in a house’s patrimonial collection, Raybaud chose 2020 as the cut-off date, to allow newer signatures to take part on an equal footing to their centuries-old predecessors.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
These target specific companies have learned what works and what doesn’t from their SaaS predecessors.
—Barry Libert, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Even so, given the math, compromise and coalition are the only ways forward if Lecornu hopes to succeed where his predecessors – both appointed for their strengths in these areas – failed.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The Times analyzed how numerous blockbusters — almost all of them sequels or IP adaptations — fell short of their predecessors, and how only two weekends out of this summer surpassed $300 million cumulative at the North American box office.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
Noun
-
This is where our ancestors died protecting a way of life.—
Richard B. Williams,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
-
By this time, humans had arrived in North America, likely via the same Bering Land Bridge used by the lions’ ancestors.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And the precursors for that reality may already be in motion, Metzger noted.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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While every relationship faces challenges, certain patterns consistently appear as precursors to deeper dysfunction.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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