PRELIM Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

prelim

adjective

ˈprē-ˌlim

Definition of prelim

as in preliminary

coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows a medical assistant had done all of the prelim work before the physician even walked into the examining room

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for prelim

Adjective

Last month, oil prices briefly fell to their lowest level since before the war on news that a preliminary peace agreement had been reached.

— Max Zahn, ABC News, 29 July 2026
The trouble began over the weekend, NASA said, well after LINK had hit several preliminary milestones, such as deploying its solar-power arrays and test firing its xenon-gas thrusters, during its commissioning phase.

— Lee Billings, Scientific American, 29 July 2026

Definition of preliminary

Adjective

Prince Gabriel, 22, completed a one-year preparatory course at the National Mathematics & Science College in England before graduating from the Royal Military Academy of Belgium.

— Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
The Western Cape High Court judgment on Friday does not stop the impeachment committee from doing other preparatory work for the pending proceedings.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026

Definition of preparatory

Adjective

Riley is usually at the Heat’s introductory press conferences, especially for players of James’ caliber.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Guests can also join Tibetan-style painting sessions lasting from half a day to seven days, or take a two- to three-hour introductory class in Tibetan calligraphy.

— Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of introductory

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Prelim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prelim. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of prelim

adjective

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