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
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Recent Examples of antecedents
The goal was to link American culture with its European antecedents—a heady way to justify shedding blood for another continent’s conflict.
—
Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
For Ann Lee, an arthouse musical that counts among its closest antecedents Robert Eggers’ The Witch and the Björk-starring Dancer in the Dark, Blumberg reworked and retrofitted 10 traditional Shaker hymns, and recorded Seyfried and the other actors live on set.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Seeing around the bend in the river—or even knowing the river ahead does indeed bend—can require the sort of leap of faith that made Vannevar Bush insist that shamans, priests and spiritual seers are the antecedents of today’s engineering stars.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Aug. 2019
Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
For Ann Lee, an arthouse musical that counts among its closest antecedents Robert Eggers’ The Witch and the Björk-starring Dancer in the Dark, Blumberg reworked and retrofitted 10 traditional Shaker hymns, and recorded Seyfried and the other actors live on set.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Seeing around the bend in the river—or even knowing the river ahead does indeed bend—can require the sort of leap of faith that made Vannevar Bush insist that shamans, priests and spiritual seers are the antecedents of today’s engineering stars.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antecedents
Noun
-
There are multiple conditions that can lead to overactive bladder, but the National Association for Continence cites diabetes, multiple sclerosis and the nerve damage that comes with these conditions as the main causes.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Androw, owner of E & D Pizza in Avon and a leader on the national pizza scene is known for using pizza for good causes from hunger to fulfilling the wishes of terminally ill children.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With little support for the WHO among Republicans — who control both the House and the Senate — there has been no push from Congress to hold the country to the provision set out by their forerunners.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In a new secondary analysis of the larger trial published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Patti and her colleagues asked how different social determinants of health affected outcomes after bariatric surgery compared to medical therapy for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.—
Elizabeth Cooney,
STAT,
19 Jan. 2026
-
This research suggests that social determinants of health, including financial stress and food insecurity, may belong in the same conversation.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Connie Martin always knew who her ancestors were growing up.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Some of those ancestors left Africa to explore Europe.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Dow is older than the S&P 500, which was established in 1957 (though precursors had existed since 1928) and the Nasdaq Composite, which was established in 1971.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Thiel’s claim climate policy and global cooperation are precursors to a one‑world dictatorship ignores how such policies actually work.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Crew-12 mission was bumped up a few days so the astronauts can get to an understaffed space station after the mission's Crew-11 predecessors were medically evacuated in mid-January.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Pritzkau has been on the camp scene for years, learning from his predecessors in the early stages.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Antecedents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antecedents. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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