preparatory

American  

[pri-par-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, -pair-, prep-er-uh-] / prɪˈpær əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, -ˈpɛər-, ˈprɛp ər ə- /

adjective

1. serving or designed to prepare.

   preparatory arrangements.

2. preliminary; introductory.

   preparatory remarks.

3. of or relating to training that prepares for more advanced education.

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idioms

1. preparatory to, in advance of; before.

   The astronauts met with the press preparatory to lifting off.

preparatory British  

/ -trɪ, prɪˈpærətərɪ /

adjective

1. serving to prepare

2. introductory or preliminary

3. occupied in preparation

4. as a preparation to; before

   a drink preparatory to eating

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Other Word Forms

• nonpreparatory
  adjective
• preparatorily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of preparatory

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word praeparātōrius. See prepare, -tory ¹

Explanation

Use the adjective preparatory when you're getting ready for something. If you spend the day cleaning your house before a big party, the work you're doing is preparatory. You can call something preparatory when it helps you prepare. A summer school class that lays the groundwork for a calculus course in the fall is preparatory, and so are a coach's words of advice before the start of a football game. High schools that specifically ready students for college work are sometimes called "preparatory schools," or "prep schools" for short. The Latin root is praeparationem, "a making ready."

Example Sentences

He played soccer and went to Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School, a Catholic preparatory school in Arlington.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

More than a year earlier, he had completed his second arduous journey to the foothills of the inactive volcano of Chimborazo, in Ecuador, to make preparatory drawings and oil sketches for this roughly 10-foot-wide work.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

By placing them side by side with his preparatory drawings, visitors can better understand Raphael's creative process.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

That’s in part because it decided to experiment with age-verification steps in Australia long before it received the government’s letter, as a preparatory step.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2026

The purpose of a preparatory examination was to determine whether the government’s charges were sufficient to put us on trial in the Supreme Court.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• preliminary
• previous