1
as in causes
someone or something responsible for a result
what are the antecedents of the American Revolutionary War?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forerunners
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed
the typewriter is the antecedent of the computer keyboard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of antecedents
My poem works by multisequencing; in each of the three book-sections there are four narratives, and the reader must gather each piece of the narrative as it unspools and connect it to its antecedents—that yields compression.
—
Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 23 Oct. 2025
The parallel plotlines involving Ali’s possible descendants and problematic antecedents, including a father (Ercan Kesal) who seems to be particularly abusive towards his wife, collide in highly unusual ways during the movie’s volatile second half.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025
Art-wise, there are antecedents.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Many of Guardiola’s most famous antecedents — Bill Shankly, Arrigo Sacchi — either resigned or retired because of the strain the job placed on them.
—Rory Smith, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
But what sets the West apart from all its historical antecedents and modern counterparts is precisely its trial-and-error democracies, protected by politically and economically inclusive institutions.
—Vuk Vukovic, TIME, 10 Oct. 2024
The results said much about the foundational beliefs that serve as antecedents to their voting proclivities.
—Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Chinatown is very much in argument with the style and structure of its antecedents, manifestly not the neo-noir it is often said to be.
—airmail.news, 20 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antecedents
Noun
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Their official causes of death are still pending further assessments, including toxicology reports.—
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In still other moments today, local leaders and survivors plan to weigh in on the recovery process and call for accountability over the causes and responses to the blazes.—
Noun
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The primacy of a central meeting space can be traced to the Greek Empire with the agora, among other forerunners.—
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Compared to their forerunners in the tsarist era, with their party congresses held abroad, their executive committees, and their active recruitment in imperial Russia’s universities, Soviet dissidents remained a comparatively small and informal conglomeration of activists.—
Noun
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Social determinants of health are the parts of ourselves and our environments that drive our health status.—
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Moore suggests focusing on the social determinants of health — providing stable housing and a strong education, for instance — in addition to intervention work.—
Noun
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Susanne Hammel-Sawyer grew up in Santa Barbara knowing nearly nothing about the traditions of her Chumash ancestors.—
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In October 2024, the lab firm used genealogical mapping, in which unidentified DNA is traced to relatives and ancestors to produce a more precise genetic profile and possible identity, to point to Contreras, according to the affidavit.—
Noun
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Those materials include sodium perchlorate, ammonium perchlorate precursors and nitrocellulose, all key components in solid-fuel rocket motors.—
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But as the precursors have rolled in, co-star Benicio Del Toro — playing a character the audience loves and roots for — has swept nearly every major critics group.—
Noun
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What separates Trump from many of his predecessors is not an appetite for war, but a refusal to tolerate endless gray zones.—
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House of Fear also departs from its predecessors in that there can be only one winner.—
Cite this Entry
“Antecedents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antecedents. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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