prequel

[pree-kwuhl]

noun

1. a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work, as by portraying the same characters at a younger age.

prequel

/ ˈpriːkwəl /

noun

1. a film or book about an earlier stage of a story or a character's life, released because the later part of it has already been successful

Word History and Origins

Origin of prequel¹

First recorded in 1970–75; pre- + (se)quel

Word History and Origins

Origin of prequel¹

C20: from _pre- + ( se ) quel

Example Sentences

We knew every player in every division in England and we used to make our own game, like a management game, that was the probably the prequel to the Championship Manager game.

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The stage play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is a prequel diving into Henry’s origins and how he eventually became 001, and Vecna.

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Fantasy producers are casting more inclusively these days, evidenced by the “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” and Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power.”

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“Welcome to Derry,” a prequel to the events of Stephen King’s 1986 novel, seems especially fond of using nativity to midwife atrocities, although body horror in general is a defining trait of the show.

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Though it has been decades since the last “Gremlins” movie hit the big screen, the furballs got their own spotlight in the 2023 animated prequel TV series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.”

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