precondition

American  

[pree-kuhn-dish-uhn] / ˌpri kənˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

1. something that must come before or is necessary to a subsequent result; condition.

   a precondition for a promotion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to subject (a person or thing) to a special treatment in preparation for a subsequent experience, process, test, etc..

   to precondition a surface to receive paint.

precondition British  

/ ˌpriːkənˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. a necessary or required condition; prerequisite

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verb

1. (tr) psychol to present successively two stimuli to (an organism) without reinforcement so that they become associated; if a response is then conditioned to the second stimulus on its own, the same response will be evoked by the first stimulus

Etymology

Origin of precondition

First recorded in 1910–15; pre- + condition

Explanation

A precondition is a prerequisite. It’s the thing that has to happen before something else happens. For example, as a precondition to getting your allowance, you might have to give the dog a hairdo once a week. Precondition is often used in the negative – when world leaders meet to discuss something, they might ask for no preconditions. Clean slate. On the other hand, good grades are sometimes a precondition for joining the school basketball team. Applying for a new job can be frustrating when you realize that experience is a precondition, but you're not sure how to get the experience without getting a job. When it's a verb, precondition means to prepare something (or someone).

Example Sentences

The harder reality is this: The sanctions architecture the U.S. spent decades building assumed financial isolation as a precondition for leverage.

From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026

One precondition for a hike would be that the labor market would have to not only rebound but strengthen, Luzzetti noted.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

“It’s a precondition for all the copper projects.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

One really important form of social attention is so elemental to human life that it is the necessary precondition to survive.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2025

The process of abstraction it teaches is an essential precondition for the new science.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• arrangement
• essential
• necessity
• prerequisite
• provision
• qualification
• requirement
• requisite
• stipulation