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 moment was foreshadowed a week earlier when Gritty posted a photo on TikTok of the Penguins’ mascot.—
Ryan Brennan
April 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The moment was foreshadowed a week earlier when Gritty posted a photo on TikTok of the Penguins’ mascot with Gritty lurking behind it, doing his signature staredown.—
Ryan Brennan
April 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Pines at Woodloch Hawley, Pennsylvania A perennial family-favorite getaway often heralded as one of the best all-inclusive family resorts in the country, The Pines at Woodloch (formerly known as Woodloch Resort) sits along Lake Teedyuskung in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
The owner of a long-standing and once heralded senior housing project is seeking to have the age restriction removed, telling town zoning officials such a move is in keeping with shifts in the Connecticut housing market.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The torsion balance rod, with smaller masses attached to it, did indeed deflect as predicted.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
-
More than 52,000 people are predicted to die of the disease this year.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Initial move-ins are anticipated by the 2028 ski season.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
-
It was also noted that the project is coming in at a price lower than anticipated.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As Mercury squares Pluto, something said or implied may feel more intense than expected.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
5 May 2026
-
Trump also implied that Leo − the first pope born in the United States − was chosen by the conclave last year, partly in response to his own leadership.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigured. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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