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an·te·ced·ent
 antecedent
- pronunciation:
- aen
t
si
dnt
- parts of speech:
- adjective, noun
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition: |
occurring before; previous.
The invention of the radio was antecedent to the invention of the television.- synonyms:
- anterior, earlier, former, precedent, preceding, previous, prior
- antonyms:
- subsequent
- similar words:
- foregoing, precursory, preliminary
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| related words: |
early, leading |
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| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
an event, circumstance, or thing coming before another.
The canon was an antecedent of the gun.- synonyms:
- forerunner, precursor
- antonyms:
- consequence
- similar words:
- harbinger, predecessor
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| definition 2: |
(pl.) ancestors; earlier life.
He was the first of his antecedents to go to college.- synonyms:
- ancestors, ancestresses, ancestry, family tree, forebears, forerunners, predecessors, progenitors
- similar words:
- fathers, forefathers, primogenitors
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| definition 3: |
in grammar, the word or word group to which a pronoun refers, as in "The women demanded their rights," in which "women" is the antecedent of "their."
The word "this" has no clear antecedent in this paragraph, so it's difficult to understand what it refers to.- synonyms:
- referent
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| related words: |
forerunner, precedent, primary |
| derivation: |
antecedently (adv.) |
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