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 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
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
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In general, the data RADARS collected from people seeking treatment showed price, availability and purity matter most to those who use illicit drugs, which foreshadowed the shift from prescription opioids to heroin and fentanyl following a government crackdown on pill mills, Dart said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
5 Mar. 2026
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Those contentious talks foreshadowed the extended lockout in the winter before the 2022 season.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Despite potential low pay, healthcare has been heralded as a fast-growing career path safe from both AI disruption and recessionary impacts—leading to an influx of interest and job openings within the profession, while other sectors lay off staffers in droves.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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The restaurant’s opening in 2024 came with great excitement, as its sibling restaurant, Trattoria Da Me, is an institution in the city, heralded for modernizing traditional Bolognese cuisine without losing its rustic history.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In November last year, Rheinmetall predicted its sales would quintuple over the next five years, boosted by robust demand for its weapons systems amid geopolitical tensions and the war in Ukraine.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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The area will see peak temperatures Thursday and Friday with highs predicted to reach around 97 in Downtown Los Angeles, 95 in Long Beach, and 97 in Burbank.—
Andrea Klick,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It’s anticipated to run 24/7 in four car sets, two minutes apart during peak hours, and accommodate 200 passengers.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Scott’s return proved to be highly anticipated at her best radio format.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The remark, which spread quickly across news and social media, implied that Israel pushed the US into attacking.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Hickenlooper even implied that Trump’s decision to attack Iran had a political angle.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigured. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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