Antecedent
noun
A thing that came before, the earlier one.
The history of that civil war has some antecedents relevant to the current situation.
Often appears as...
- historical antecedents
- cultural antecedents
Usage tips
Formal
adjective
Earlier in time or order.
His antecedent departure caused a lot of chaos.
Often appears as...
- antecedent events
- antecedent causes
Usage tips
Formal
noun
In grammar, a word or phrase that a pronoun refer reflects to.
In the sentence 'John lost his bag', 'John' is the antecedent of 'his'.
Often appears as...
- noun antecedent
- pronoun antecedent
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
noun
A thing that came before, the earlier one.
The history of that civil war has some antecedents relevant to the current situation.
Often appears as...
- historical antecedents
- cultural antecedents
Usage tips
Formal
adjective
Earlier in time or order.
His antecedent departure caused a lot of chaos.
Often appears as...
- antecedent events
- antecedent causes
Usage tips
Formal
noun
In grammar, a word or phrase that a pronoun refer reflects to.
In the sentence 'John lost his bag', 'John' is the antecedent of 'his'.
Often appears as...
- noun antecedent
- pronoun antecedent
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Historical Context
Often used when discussing history or evolution to link past with present.
The antecedents of modern democracy can be traced back to ancient Greece.
Pro Tip 2/3Cause and Effect
Think of 'antecedent' as what sets the stage for something else to happen.
Poor planning was the antecedent of the project's failure.
Pro Tip 3/3Sequence Clarity
Use 'antecedent' to clarify order when discussing sequences of events or ideas.
Understanding the antecedent theories helps in studying modern psychological approaches.
Pro Tip 1/3Historical Context
Often used when discussing history or evolution to link past with present.
The antecedents of modern democracy can be traced back to ancient Greece.
Pro Tip 2/3Cause and Effect
Think of 'antecedent' as what sets the stage for something else to happen.
Poor planning was the antecedent of the project's failure.
Pro Tip 3/3Sequence Clarity
Use 'antecedent' to clarify order when discussing sequences of events or ideas.
Understanding the antecedent theories helps in studying modern psychological approaches.
Pro Tip 1/3Historical Context
Often used when discussing history or evolution to link past with present.
The antecedents of modern democracy can be traced back to ancient Greece.
Pro Tip 2/3Cause and Effect
Think of 'antecedent' as what sets the stage for something else to happen.
Poor planning was the antecedent of the project's failure.
Pro Tip 3/3Sequence Clarity
Use 'antecedent' to clarify order when discussing sequences of events or ideas.
Understanding the antecedent theories helps in studying modern psychological approaches.
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Video examples
Shweta Narayan: It's...
He said, and I quote, "The physician must be able to tell the antecedents, know the present and foretell the future. Must mitigate these things with two special objects in view with regard to disease.
Video examples
Everest Tourism Changed...
actually on the 1953 expedition he was a really interesting guy to talk to he has seen pretty much the whole field of changes that have occurred tomate antecedent aliamanu bonds and
Video examples
Shweta Narayan: It's...
He said, and I quote, "The physician must be able to tell the antecedents, know the present and foretell the future. Must mitigate these things with two special objects in view with regard to disease.
Video examples
Everest Tourism Changed...
actually on the 1953 expedition he was a really interesting guy to talk to he has seen pretty much the whole field of changes that have occurred tomate antecedent aliamanu bonds and
Example 1 of 2
Quote examples
Zbigniew Brzezinski
American Politician
Missing from much of the public debate is discussion of the simple fact that lurking behind every terroristic act is a specific political antecedent. That does not justify either the perpetrator or his political cause. Nonetheless, the fact is that almost all terrorist activity originates from some political conflict and is sustained by it as well.
Quote examples
Chrysippus
Greek Philosopher
If something were brought about without an antecedent cause, it would be untrue that all things come about through fate. But if it is plausible that all events have an antecedent cause, what ground can be offered for not conceding that all things come about through fate?
Quote examples
Richard Rhodes
American Journalist
Inventions are rarely just a sudden bright idea. Even if they are, they usually have antecedents in the form of pieces of the idea... Piecing these things together gives one a sense of where inventions come from, and that's interesting.
Quote examples
Ezra Pound
American Poet
I consider criticism merely a preliminary excitement, a statement of things a writer has to clear up in his own head sometime or other, probably antecedent to writing; of no value unless it come to fruit in the created work later.
Quote examples
Glenda Jackson
British Actress
I was blessed by my parents and my antecedents by a very strong work ethic. I mean, being a Member of Parliament is 24/7, just as much as when you're actually doing a play. It's not quite 24/7, but it's the work that counts.
Quote examples
Vincent Nichols
English Clergyman
A Catholic understanding of priesthood is so strongly rooted in the historic actions of Jesus and in all their antecedents in the place of sacrifice in life. And those things... they are rooted to the role of the man.
Quote examples
Rashid Johnson
American Photographer
I wanted my art to deal with very formal concerns and to deal with very material concerns, and to deal with antecedents and art history, which for me go very far beyond just the influence of African-American artists.
Quote examples
Michael A. Stackpole
American Writer
I've done a lot of books with Asian antecedents to them - some of my fantasy novels have been that way, and certainly in the 'Battletech' universe, there's a lot of Asian culture in that.
Quote examples
Herbert Read
English Poet
Morality, as has often been pointed out, is antecedent to religion-it even exists in a rudimentary form among animals.
Quote examples
Paul Di Filippo
American Writer
The sentient beast has long been a staple of fantasy fiction and its antecedents in myth and folktale.
Quote examples
Zbigniew Brzezinski
American Politician
Missing from much of the public debate is discussion of the simple fact that lurking behind every terroristic act is a specific political antecedent. That does not justify either the perpetrator or his political cause. Nonetheless, the fact is that almost all terrorist activity originates from some political conflict and is sustained by it as well.
Quote examples
Chrysippus
Greek Philosopher
If something were brought about without an antecedent cause, it would be untrue that all things come about through fate. But if it is plausible that all events have an antecedent cause, what ground can be offered for not conceding that all things come about through fate?
Quote examples
Richard Rhodes
American Journalist
Inventions are rarely just a sudden bright idea. Even if they are, they usually have antecedents in the form of pieces of the idea... Piecing these things together gives one a sense of where inventions come from, and that's interesting.
Quote examples
Ezra Pound
American Poet
I consider criticism merely a preliminary excitement, a statement of things a writer has to clear up in his own head sometime or other, probably antecedent to writing; of no value unless it come to fruit in the created work later.
Quote examples
Glenda Jackson
British Actress
I was blessed by my parents and my antecedents by a very strong work ethic. I mean, being a Member of Parliament is 24/7, just as much as when you're actually doing a play. It's not quite 24/7, but it's the work that counts.
Quote examples
Vincent Nichols
English Clergyman
A Catholic understanding of priesthood is so strongly rooted in the historic actions of Jesus and in all their antecedents in the place of sacrifice in life. And those things... they are rooted to the role of the man.
Quote examples
Rashid Johnson
American Photographer
I wanted my art to deal with very formal concerns and to deal with very material concerns, and to deal with antecedents and art history, which for me go very far beyond just the influence of African-American artists.
Quote examples
Michael A. Stackpole
American Writer
I've done a lot of books with Asian antecedents to them - some of my fantasy novels have been that way, and certainly in the 'Battletech' universe, there's a lot of Asian culture in that.
Quote examples
Herbert Read
English Poet
Morality, as has often been pointed out, is antecedent to religion-it even exists in a rudimentary form among animals.
Quote examples
Paul Di Filippo
American Writer
The sentient beast has long been a staple of fantasy fiction and its antecedents in myth and folktale.
Example 1 of 10
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