antecedent

1 of 2

noun

an·​te·​ced·​ent ˌan-tə-ˈsē-dᵊnt How to pronounce antecedent (audio)
plural antecedents
1
grammar : a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun that typically follows the substantive (such as John in "Mary saw John and called to him")
broadly : a word or phrase replaced by a substitute
2
a
: a preceding event, condition, or cause
events that were antecedents of the war
b
antecedents plural : the significant events, conditions, and traits of one's earlier life
3
a
: predecessor
especially : a model or stimulus for later developments
The sackbut was the antecedent of the trombone.
b
antecedents plural : ancestors, parents
He was proud of his Scottish antecedents.
4
: the conditional element in a proposition (such as if A in "if A, then B")
5
mathematics : the first term of a mathematical ratio

antecedent

2 of 2

adjective

: prior
antecedent events
antecedently adverb

Did you know?

A basic principle of clear writing is to keep your antecedents clear. Pronouns are often used in order not to repeat a noun (so instead of saying "Sheila turns 22 tomorrow, and Sheila is having a party", we replace the second "Sheila" with "she"). But sloppy writers sometimes leave their antecedents unclear (for instance, "Sheila helps Kathleen out, but she doesn't appreciate it", where it isn't clear who "she" is). Watch out for this possible problem when using not just he and she but also they, them, it, this, *and *that. And keep in mind that antecedent isn't just a grammar term. You may talk about the antecedents of heart disease (such as bad eating habits), the antecedents of World War II (such as the unwise Treaty of Versailles), and even your own antecedents (your mother, grandfather, etc.).

Choose the Right Synonym for antecedent

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before.

preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.

the preceding sentence

antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.

conditions antecedent to the revolution

foregoing applies chiefly to statements.

the foregoing remarks

previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

a child from a previous marriage
a prior obligation

former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.

the former name of the company

anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.

the anterior lobe of the brain

Examples of antecedent in a Sentence

Noun “John” is the antecedent of the pronoun “him” in “Mary saw John and thanked him.” what are the antecedents of the American Revolutionary War? Adjective I'd like to follow up on an antecedent question from another reporter.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Although the name is Spanish, a legacy of over three centuries of colonialism, no antecedent appears to exist in Spanish food. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 24 May 2023 For the Gaza protesters, the antecedents stretch from the anti-Muslim backlash after the Sept. 11 attacks to recent racial injustice protests. Michael Wines, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023 During this gruesome war, both sides fortified their positions by digging numerous tunnels beneath Gaza’s loose soil—providing a historic antecedent to Hamas’s strategy against Israel today. Jean-Pierre Filiu, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2024 That writing has very direct antecedents in terms of counterculture cuisine, because people are so obsessed with the communes and the hippies and the food that came out of Vietnam War-era protests. Emma Specter, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2023 As someone who studies this stuff so closely, is there a historical antecedent for such mass unrest? Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023 The language left-leaning groups use today—people over profits, workers over bosses, ordinary or working people over elites—has clear antecedents in left-wing movements like Occupy and political campaigns like Bernie Sanders’s presidential runs. Raina Lipsitz, The New Republic, 20 Oct. 2023 Together with his business partner, Afua Richardson, Mr. Mbaye achieves this goal by serving a tasting menu that underscores the debt New Orleans cuisine owes West African and Caribbean antecedents. Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023 Pointing out that a problem has antecedents does not compromise its validity. Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2023
Adjective
This season, the scandalous antecedent events of lust, love, and denial have caused a kingdom in chaos! Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Oct. 2023 Consider, first, that in an artificial system that rises to the level of consciousness, such as future iterations of GPT or LaMDA might become, this consciousness could not be the result of any slow evolutionary process with antecedent stages of mere sensory perception. Justin E. H. Smith, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antecedent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin antecedent-, antecedens, from Latin, what precedes, from neuter of antecedent-, antecedens, present participle of antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of antecedent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near antecedent

Cite this Entry

“Antecedent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antecedent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

antecedent

1 of 2 noun
an·​te·​ced·​ent ˌant-ə-ˈsēd-ənt How to pronounce antecedent (audio)
1
: a noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
in "the house that we live in," "house" is the antecedent of "that"
2
: an event or cause coming before something
3
plural : one's ancestors or parents

antecedent

2 of 2 adjective
: coming earlier in time or order
antecedently adverb

Legal Definition

antecedent

adjective
an·​te·​ce·​dent
ˌan-tə-ˈsēd-ᵊnt
: earlier in time or order

More from Merriam-Webster on antecedent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!