preceding
adjective
Synonyms
- antecedent
- anterior
- foregoing
- former
- precedent
- previous
- prior
Example Sentences
Christopher Hitchens, New York Times Book Review, 18 May 2003 The building code, layered with attempts to correct the ignorance of preceding generations, is a set of rules for coping with some of the most unruly moods of the land: mudslides, wildfires, steep slopes, a dearth of water and a surfeit of seismic activity. Timothy Egan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 1994 I have had a fever of about three weeks during the last and preceding month, from which I am entirely recovered except as to strength. Thomas Jefferson, letter, 4 Sept. 1823 The preceding week he had been on vacation. had not eaten since the preceding day John Shea, SFChronicle.com, 5 Apr. 2020 Annual inflation has been just 1.8% on average, down from about 3.5% during the preceding 20 years and 4.5% in the two decades before that. The Economist, 13 Feb. 2020 But the train whirred, caught and deposited us at the preceding station. Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2020 And/or the headings are continuations of the last sentence of the preceding section:But first, before Franz got back,THE RING OF THE NIBELUNGcame round. Ben Lerner, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2019 The preceding fortnight offered a new round of action, though. Jimmy Vielkind, WSJ, 23 June 2019 United Nations officials confirmed that there had been shelling in eastern Ghouta on Tuesday morning, and said there were also reports of shelling toward Damascus during the preceding night, before the cease-fire was to begin. Nada Homsi And Richard PÉrez-peÑa, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2018 This year's crop of nominees are all (mostly) great, and the many preceding award shows—from the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the BAFTAs, and the various critics associations—have made this year's winners pretty obvious already. Tyler Coates, Esquire, 27 Feb. 2018 Young and Crippen would blast off aboard one of the most powerful rocket systems ever developed without a single preceding test flight. William Harwood, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
see precede
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
preceding
adjective
preceding 1 of 2
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- previous
- prior
- earliest
- antecedent
- early
- precedent
- initial
- foregoing
- former
- anterior
- advance
- original
- first
- inaugural
- preliminary
- premature
- introductory
- preexisting
- pioneer
- maiden
- erstwhile
- whilom
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- subsequent
- following
- later
- ensuing
- after
- succeeding
- last
- posterior
- late
- final
- latter
- advanced
- latest
- concluding
- terminal
- ultimate
- closing
preceding
2 of 2verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- predating
- foregoing
- antedating
- anteceding
- preexisting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- following
- succeeding
- postdating
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of preceding are antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, previous, and prior. While all these words mean "being before," preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.
While in some cases nearly identical to preceding, antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.
The meanings of anterior and preceding largely overlap; however, anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.
While the synonyms foregoing and preceding are close in meaning, foregoing applies chiefly to statements.
In some situations, the words former and preceding are roughly equivalent. However, former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.
Both previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.