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
That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis.
—
Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigured
Verb
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This act of violence, in hindsight, foreshadowed what was to come.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
-
The moment was foreshadowed a week earlier when Gritty posted a photo on TikTok of the Penguins’ mascot.—
Ryan Brennan
April 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anthropic’s upgraded Opus model, which debuted in November, was particularly heralded.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
Martinez has proved, as heralded, to be the great clubhouse presence who provides guidance and leadership.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Afternoons are predicted to have the worst traffic for the three-day weekend.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
Beran predicted Beijing would limit media access to avoid any off-script remarks being widely reported.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
As a result, roles that require more specialized skills, niche certifications, technical expertise or substantial experience can remain open for much longer than anticipated, putting extra pressure on existing staff and slowing growth plans.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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Looking at the data of El Niños, strong ones, like the one anticipated to form, come with more high tide flooding.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Members of the rate-setting committee’s March 18 median projection for the federal funds rate, which serves as a benchmark for interest rates around the country, implied one quarter-point cut before the year’s end.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
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The melting pot implied that citizens gradually shed the distinctiveness of their traditions in order to become fully American.—
Ari Berman,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefigured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigured. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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