Dictionary and Thesaurus

Definition of Antecedent

• (a.) Going before in time; prior; anterior; preceding; as, an event antecedent to the Deluge; an antecedent cause.
• (a.) Presumptive; as, an antecedent improbability.
• (n.) That which goes before in time; that which precedes.
• (n.) One who precedes or goes in front.
• (n.) The earlier events of one's life; previous principles, conduct, course, history.
• (n.) The noun to which a relative refers; as, in the sentence \"Solomon was the prince who built the temple,\" prince is the antecedent of who.
• (n.) The first or conditional part of a hypothetical proposition; as, If the earth is fixed, the sun must move.
• (n.) The first of the two propositions which constitute an enthymeme or contracted syllogism; as, Every man is mortal; therefore the king must die.
• (n.) The first of the two terms of a ratio; the first or third of the four terms of a proportion. In the ratio a:b, a is the antecedent, and b the consequent.

Synonyms of Antecedent

• Ancestor
• Ascendant
• Ascendent
• Root
• Forerunner

Antonyms of Antecedent

• Descendant
• Subsequent

Homophones of Antecedent