antedate

[ verb an-ti-deyt, an-ti-deyt; noun an-ti-deyt ]

/ verb ˈæn tɪˌdeɪt, ˌæn tɪˈdeɪt; noun ˈæn tɪˌdeɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR antedate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), an·te·dat·ed, an·te·dat·ing.

to be of older date than; precede in time: The Peruvian empire antedates the Mexican empire.

predate(def 1).

to assign to an earlier date: to antedate a historical event.

to cause to return to an earlier time: to antedate one's thoughts by remembering past events.

to cause to happen sooner; accelerate: The cold weather antedated their departure from the country.

Archaic. to take or have in advance; anticipate.

noun

a prior date.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of antedate

1570–80; earlier antidate < Middle French antidater, derivative of antidate a date earlier than the true date (by association with anté- ante-), originally a date put in place of another date; see ante-, date¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH antedate

anecdote antedate antidoteantedate predate postdate

Words nearby antedate

antechamber, antechapel, antechoir, antecourt, antecubital, antedate, antediluvian, antediluvian patriarch, antefebrile, antefix, anteflexion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for antedate

Why then, Tim, the only safe way for these gamesome macquerellas is to antedate their conception before their separation.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays|Robert Dodsley
When these amphitheatres were erected we do not know, but probably they do not antedate by much the middle of the century.
Shakespearean Playhouses|Joseph Quincy Adams
Their veritable records represent this people as far back as the days of Abraham, and, indeed, they antedate that period.
Foot-prints of Travel|Maturin M. Ballou
This would make them antedate July, 1759, which is not true of the bakehouse.
Old Trails on the Niagara Frontier|Frank H. Severance

And when Phil and I came asking questions didn't you antedate his arrival about six hours?
Mavericks|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for antedate

antedate

verb (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt, ˌæntɪˈdeɪt) (tr)

to be or occur at an earlier date than

to affix a date to (a document, etc) that is earlier than the actual date

to assign a date to (an event, etc) that is earlier than its previously assigned date

to cause to occur sooner

noun (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt)

an earlier date

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

antedate

verb (used with object), an·te·dat·ed, an·te·dat·ing.

noun

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of antedate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH antedate

Words nearby antedate

Words related to antedate

Example sentences from the Web for antedate

British Dictionary definitions for antedate

verb (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt, ˌæntɪˈdeɪt) (tr)

noun (ˈæntɪˌdeɪt)