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
Despite some discouraging downward trends, all the prefatory jawing could go a long way toward siphoning off a fair number of viewers who might otherwise be locked in on the NFL.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The prefatory pause gives the audience a chance to applaud a starry ensemble.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The prefatory pause gives the audience a chance to applaud a starry ensemble.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefatory
Adjective
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The team will first play a preparatory series in Sri Lanka which begins in two weeks’ time.—
Dominic Fifield,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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They were discovered during preparatory work for road construction.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Episodes are bound together by banal introductory voiceover, in which our narrator recites ominous clichés that, like everything in His & Hers, border on parody.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
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So, with the support of the school for developing an introductory class on archaeology, Harris-Thacker developed one.—
Helen I. Bennett,
Hartford Courant,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Joseph took time during the bye week for preliminary interviews for head coaching jobs with the Cardinals, Ravens, Raiders, Giants and Titans.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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The person cautioned the information was still preliminary, and the investigation was in its early stages.—
Steve Karnowski,
Twin Cities,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefatory. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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