antecedent
something that comes before and influences what follows
Word origin: From Latin antecedere, to go before (ante- before, plus cedere to go).
Antecedent in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing antecedent in a sentence.
Historians traced the revolution's antecedents to decades of economic strain.
The judge cited an antecedent ruling from a similar case decided two decades earlier.
Using “antecedent” well
Antecedent means something that comes before, often as a cause, precedent, or source. In grammar it is the noun a pronoun refers back to; in argument it is the prior claim a conclusion rests on.
More GRE words starting with A
to lower in rank, dignity, or self-respect
to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed
to lessen in intensity or amount
to formally give up power or responsibility
departing from what is normal or expected
a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
to regard with strong disgust or hatred
Questions about “antecedent”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.