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
One of his predecessors, Max Allegri, used to say there are categories of coaches.
—
James Horncastle, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie are trying to pick up the pieces after a season of chaos caused their predecessors to lose their jobs, but so far fate and misfortune seem to be conspiring against them.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Even under state founder Mao Zedong the commission was bigger, with five members, and under Xi's predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin there were 11, with the larger number indicating a broader spread of political interests.
—Deirdre Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Indeed, Paramount already has an executive who oversees distribution deals, a veteran named Ray Hopkins who has been with the conglomerate and its predecessors for years.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
In fact, the Chamber’s 2025 New Hire Readiness Report shows that 84% of hiring managers believe today’s high school graduates are not ready for the workforce, and 80% say young hires are less prepared than their predecessors.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Through six games, the current Broncos have given up fewer points, yards and red zone touchdowns than their Super Bowl-winning predecessors.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
Like its predecessors, the Varg SM sports a sleek, motocross-style look.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Altogether, the ensemble was similar to countryside ‘fits worn by her predecessors, Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth, who had mastered the art of sporty but still feminine dressing for the UK’s chillier climates.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Oct. 2025
James Horncastle, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie are trying to pick up the pieces after a season of chaos caused their predecessors to lose their jobs, but so far fate and misfortune seem to be conspiring against them.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Even under state founder Mao Zedong the commission was bigger, with five members, and under Xi's predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin there were 11, with the larger number indicating a broader spread of political interests.
—Deirdre Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Indeed, Paramount already has an executive who oversees distribution deals, a veteran named Ray Hopkins who has been with the conglomerate and its predecessors for years.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
In fact, the Chamber’s 2025 New Hire Readiness Report shows that 84% of hiring managers believe today’s high school graduates are not ready for the workforce, and 80% say young hires are less prepared than their predecessors.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Through six games, the current Broncos have given up fewer points, yards and red zone touchdowns than their Super Bowl-winning predecessors.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
Like its predecessors, the Varg SM sports a sleek, motocross-style look.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Altogether, the ensemble was similar to countryside ‘fits worn by her predecessors, Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth, who had mastered the art of sporty but still feminine dressing for the UK’s chillier climates.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predecessors
Noun
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Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The same knowing that my ancestors must have held, that beauty and resilience are not separate things.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Ludwig’s distant paternal ancestors were in fact German Jewish merchants, not warlike princes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The beans are typically piled in wooden boxes or baskets, in which bacteria and fungi break down the beans’ pulpy coating, producing chemicals that generate flavor precursors within the beans.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Oct. 2025
-
By the late 2010s, the precursors of ChatGPT, Gemini, and DALL-E were spluttering to life, making real the future that the Army had envisioned in World War II.—
Angus Fletcher,
Big Think,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Predecessors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predecessors. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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