Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for predecessor

predecessor

[pred-uh-ses-er, pred-uh-ses-er, pree-duh-ses-er]

noun

  1. a person who precedes another in an office, position, etc.

  2. something succeeded or replaced by something else.

    The new monument in the park is more beautiful than its predecessor.

  3. Archaic.,  an ancestor; forefather.



predecessor

/ ˈpriːdɪˌsɛsə /

noun

  1. a person who precedes another, as in an office

  2. something that precedes something else

  3. an ancestor; forefather

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of predecessor1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English predecessour, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin praedēcessor, from Latin prae- pre- + dēcessor “retiring official” (equivalent to dēcēd(ere) “to withdraw” + -tor -tor; de-, cede )
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of predecessor1

C14: via Old French from Late Latin praedēcessor, from prae before + dēcēdere to go away, from away + cēdere to go
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Cameron's Labour predecessors Tony Blair and Gordon Brown dodged the political bullet of being seen to give in to the court.

Read more on BBC

Like his predecessors, Lecornu was unable to push through a budget to bring down the government's deficit and tackle public debt.

Read more on BBC

He claimed the current Taoiseach Micheál Martin was not prepared to push forward with that work until there was "total reconciliation" across the island - something which his predecessor said may never be possible.

Read more on BBC

The big challenge facing Lecornu and his two predecessors has been how to tackle France's crippling national debt and get over the ideological divisions between the centre-ground parties who could be part of a government.

Read more on BBC

It’s a decision that was partly spiritual: when the world feels unmoored, it seemed perhaps worth remembering that our predecessors relied on the seasons as enveloping promises of change.

Read more on Salon

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


predeceasepredella