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
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
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
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Sadly, Ilya may still have to do this, as foreshadowed by his brother’s homophobia and his disillusionment with Russia writ large.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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Anytime is an excellent opportunity to revisit Maverick's friendship with Goose (Anthony Edwards), his rivalry with Iceman (Val Kilmer), and the iconic volleyball match that foreshadowed Maverick's football game.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At least in principle, the establishment of the United Nations and the International Court of Justice after the Second World War should have heralded the end of the imperialist doctrine.—
Philip Mullins,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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The Carnation Revolution, which heralded Portugual’s transition to democracy, and the euphoria of freedom belong to the past.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While screenshots of theaters with unsold seats have been circulating on social media, tracking service NRG has predicted a launch in the $5 million range — which would be enormously successful for a documentary.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
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Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In some cases, the Bureau paid far more than anticipated for services without verifying whether inmates received appropriate care.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Its fiscal second-quarter earnings were 99 cents per share, versus the 98 cents anticipated from analysts polled by FactSet.—
Christina Cheddar Berk,Sarah Min,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The judge concluded program participants could not be Salvation Army employees because there was no express or implied agreement they would be compensated.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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The dearth of trees on the island implied to some that the inhabitants had cut them down to make clubs and shields.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigured. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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