antecedent
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antecedent
- /ˌæntɪˈsiːdənt/ UK
- /ˌæntɪˈsidənt/ Canada, US
- [ˌɛəntɪˈsidənt] Canada, US
- /ˌæntɪˈsiːdənt/ Australia
- [ˌeːntɪˈsiːdənt] Australia
- /ˌɛntəˈsiːdənt/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɛnt
Where it comes from
From Middle English antecedent, borrowed from Old French antecedent, from Latin antecēdēns (“going before”), from antecēdō (“to precede; excel; surpass”).
adjective
-
Earlier, either in time or in order.
an antecedent cause
Similar: precedent, predecessive, preceding · Opposite: successive
- Presumptive. an antecedent improbability
noun antecedents
- Any thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thing.
-
An ancestor.
The Boston agent added that this clerk was a young man of wholly unquestioned veracity and reliability, of known antecedents and long with the company.
Similar: ascendant, ascendent, forebear, forefather, forerunner, predecessor, progenitor
- A word, phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun or other pro-form. [W]hereas it might seem orderly that, as who is appropriated to persons, so that should have been appropriated to things […] the antecedent of that is often personal
- The conditional part of a hypothetical proposition, i.e. p→q, where p is the antecedent, and q is the consequent.
- The first of two subsets of a sequent, consisting of all the sequent's formulae which are valuated as true.
- The first term of a ratio, i.e. the term a in the ratio a:b, the other being the consequent.
- Previous principles, conduct, history, etc.
Opposite: consequent, succedent, anaphor
Thesaurus
noun
Opposite: consequent, succedent, anaphor
Translations
Every language
adj earlier in time or order
| Español | antecedente |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | पूर्ववर्ती pūrvavartī, पूर्वगामी pūrvagāmī |
| Português | antecedente |
| Français | antécédent |
| Deutsch | früher, vorausgehend, vorgängig, voriger, vorige, voriges |
| Italiano | antecedente |
| Română | antecedent, precedent |
| Русский | предше́ствующий predšéstvujuščij, предыду́щий predydúščij |
noun any thing that precedes another thing
| Español | antecedente |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 前情 qián qíng |
| हिन्दी | पूर्ववृत्त pūrvavŕtt, पूर्ववर्त्ती pūrvavarttī, पूर्ववृत्तांत pūrvavŕttānt |
| Português | antecedente |
| Français | antécédent |
| Deutsch | Vorgeschichte, Ursache, Vorleben, Vorangehende, Vorhergehende, Antezedenz |
| Italiano | antecedente |
| Ελληνικά | προηγούμενος proïgoúmenos, πρότερος próteros |
| Română | antecedent, precedent |
noun ancestor
| Español | antecedente, antepasado, ancestro |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 前辈 qián bèi |
| Português | antecedente, ancestral, antepassado |
| Français | ascendant |
| Deutsch | Ahne, Vorläufer, Vorfahre, Vorfahr, Uhrahn, Uhrahne |
| Italiano | antenato, progenitore |
| Ελληνικά | πρόγονος prógonos |
| Tiếng Việt | tiền bối |
noun word, phrase or clause referred to by a pronoun
| Español | antecedente |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 先行詞 senkōshi |
| 中文 | 先行詞 /先行词 xiānxíngcí |
| हिन्दी | पूर्ववर्त्ती pūrvavarttī |
| Português | antecedente |
| Français | antécédent |
| Deutsch | Beziehungswort, Bezugselement, Antezedens, Bezugswort |
| Italiano | antecedente |
noun conditional part of a hypothetical proposition
| Español | antecedente |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | पूर्ववर्त्ती pūrvavarttī |
| Português | antecedente |
| Français | antécédent |
| Deutsch | Antezedens |
| Italiano | antecedente |
| Ελληνικά | υπόθεση ypóthesi |
Talk about this word "antecedent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/antecedent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. antecedent. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/antecedent "antecedent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/antecedent.Cite this
@misc{antecedent_2026,
title = {antecedent},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/antecedent},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
