as in foreshadowed
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
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Recent Examples of prefigured
That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis.
—
Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Chess by telegraph also prefigured chess played through other means of telecommunications.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2025
The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.
—Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Chess by telegraph also prefigured chess played through other means of telecommunications.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2025
The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated.
—Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s.
—Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigured
Verb
-
The Drama Desk Awards have long foreshadowed triumphs at the Tony Awards.—
Marc Hershberg,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
This act of violence, in hindsight, foreshadowed what was to come.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Boston leaders heralded a new class of valedictorians as a group ready to take a range of diverse life experiences and their BPS education to make impacts on the world Tuesday as the school year comes to a close.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
-
This sentiment heralded the declaration of France Day in New York State that year.—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Westford Academy started the year a tad shaky, but caught fire as some predicted while the season progressed.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
-
In her statement, Alfonsi predicted CBS News would try to make her exit an administrative decision not related to her work.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The Pennsylvania bill would also require employers to state in all job ads whether the posting is for an existing or anticipated vacancy, to specify a hiring timeline, and to disclose how many times the position has been posted within the prior year.—
Michelle Travis,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Indeed, the study had a warning for those who anticipated that the megaprojects bill could provide property tax relief to homeowners, especially around the stadium site where many just got hammered with massive increases in their property tax bills.—
Dana Kozlov,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
These men considered the loss of control that such behavior implied-an animal urge indulged by weak men lacking the courage to fight other men directly-to be shameful.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
It could also be implied or even non-verbal, such as sarcasm, eye-rolling or mockery.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigured. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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