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Antecedent: meaning, definitions and examples

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antecedent

 

[ ˌæntɪˈsiːdənt ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

in linguistics

A word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word (especially a following relative pronoun) refers.

Synonyms

ancestor, forerunner, precursor

Examples of usage

  • The antecedent in the sentence 'John is a good boy, and he is always polite' is 'John'.
  • In the sentence 'The book that I bought is interesting', 'book' is the antecedent of 'that'.
Context #2 | Noun

in logic

A preceding circumstance, event, object, style, phenomenon, etc.

Synonyms

forerunner, precursor, predecessor

Examples of usage

  • The economic recession had many antecedents, including over-speculation and lack of regulation.
  • The Industrial Revolution had numerous antecedents in the form of technological advancements.

Translations

Translations of the word "antecedent" in other languages:

🇵🇹 antecedente

🇮🇳 पूर्ववर्ती

🇩🇪 Vorgänger

🇮🇩 pendahulu

🇺🇦 попередник

🇵🇱 poprzednik

🇯🇵 前例

🇫🇷 antécédent

🇪🇸 antecedente

🇹🇷 öncül

🇰🇷 선례

🇸🇦 سابق

🇨🇿 předchůdce

🇸🇰 predchodca

🇨🇳 前例

🇸🇮 predhodnik

🇮🇸 forveri

🇰🇿 алғашқы

🇬🇪 წინა

🇦🇿 əvvəlki

🇲🇽 antecedente

Word origin

The word 'antecedent' comes from the Latin word 'antecedens', which is the present participle of 'antecedere', meaning 'to go before'. It entered the English language in the late 16th century. The term has been used in linguistics and logic to refer to something that precedes another element. Over time, its usage has expanded to various fields, including literature, philosophy, and psychology.

See also: accede, intercede, recede.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranked #11,050, this word falls into high-advanced vocabulary. It appears less frequently but is valuable for expressing precise meanings in specific contexts.