as in preparatory
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
in prefatory remarks he offered his own definition of "civilization", a word subject to a variety of interpretations
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Recent Examples of prefatory
The prefatory pause gives the audience a chance to applaud a starry ensemble.
—
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Could be that fans were simply exhausted by all the prefatory ugliness that led up to Washington’s first playoff victory in 18 years, but anyone who tuned out early missed a hell of a star turn from the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Could be that fans were simply exhausted by all the prefatory ugliness that led up to Washington’s first playoff victory in 18 years, but anyone who tuned out early missed a hell of a star turn from the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefatory
Adjective
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Arsenal have their own preparatory plans in Singapore and Hong Kong, while Liverpool and Barcelona are both travelling to Japan, among other countries.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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Each participant had, before receiving the psilocybin dose, undergone two preparatory therapy sessions.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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In the introductory remarks, patrons were urged to keep as quiet as possible in order to experience the possibilities of hearing overlapping ensembles.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
29 June 2025
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Quickly becoming a fan favorite for the Angels faithful, Moore capped his introductory homestand with another clutch at-bat — in a week that started with a bang thanks to his two home run spectacle Tuesday against the Red Sox.—
Benjamin Royer,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Where to collect, what to collect, how to collect, how to analyze China's final pick of a landing zone will rely on a review of 86 preliminary landing sites.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
29 June 2025
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Liza's baby is currently protected from losing U.S. citizenship due to a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court, which will now consider the merit's of Trump's plan.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prefatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefatory. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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