PRECURSOR Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'precursor' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of precursor are forerunner , harbinger , and herald . While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another. // 18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

Q: In what contexts can 'forerunner' take the place of 'precursor'?

The words forerunner and precursor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage. // the blockade was the forerunner of war

Q: How are the words 'harbinger' and 'herald' related as synonyms of 'precursor'?

Harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event. // their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season // the herald of a new age in medicine

precursor

noun

pri-ˈkər-sər

Definition of precursor next

as in forerunner

one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another 18th-century lyric poets like Robert Burns were precursors of the Romantics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in ancestor

something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed a precursor of the modern eggplant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word precursor distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of precursor are forerunner, harbinger, and herald. While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

In what contexts can forerunner take the place of precursor?

The words forerunner and precursor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

How are the words harbinger and herald related as synonyms of precursor?

Harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season

the herald of a new age in medicine

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of precursor Take, for example, the work done by Kurosawa, who showed that carbon-rich asteroids can react with atmospheric nitrogen to produce hydrogen cyanide — which is thought to be one of the most important chemical precursors to the origin of life. —

Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 But there’s still meat on the bone in this precursor. —

Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024 Meanwhile, vast quantities of a precursor chemical for amphetamines, benzyl methyl ketone, or BMK, were exported from various Western countries to the Middle East. —

Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 Nearly all the precursor chemicals that are needed to make fentanyl come from China. —

CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for precursor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for precursor

Noun

Being a forerunner in your circle will put you in a good position and enable you to quickly field new possibilities, offering advantages.

Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024
Lilly developed its forerunner more than 30 years prior, according to reporting from FiercePharma. Market pricing for prescription drugs creates the incentives that perpetuate this cycle of innovation.

Sally Pipes, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024