prerequisite
Americanadjective
noun
-
prerequisites
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of prerequisite
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How does prerequisite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A prerequisite is a required prior condition. If something is required in advance of something else, like if you have to take a beginning Spanish class before signing up for Spanish II, then it’s a prerequisite. Add pre meaning "before" to require and you have something that's "required before." (That's helpful when trying to spell prerequisite!) Prerequisites to be able to graduate from college can seem like a pain, but most schools offer some fun ways to fulfill them. For example, you can often meet the physical education prerequisite by taking bowling. Prerequisites aren't just for school: “The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear,” said Maya Angelou, the American poet.
Vocabulary lists containing prerequisite
Power Prefix: pre-
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Grade 9, List 2
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The Vocabulary of College
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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.
See Examples For:
Familiarity with Spanish has become a prerequisite for L.A. mayors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
But the 41-year-old acknowledged Thursday she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Collaboration with the U.S. is a prerequisite for achieving results; when that collaboration is restricted or denied, it renders your work meaningless,” Capella said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The optimist in me loves the idea that a food bank provides financial education, even if it was a prerequisite to avail of its services.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
Or consider consider: it means “with the planets,” evidently a prerequisite for serious reflection.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Such capabilities are considered essential prerequisites for the emergence of living systems.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Not all patients have the right size valve or other anatomical prerequisites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
Bolen, who is publishing a book on aging, caregiving and creating family legacy, emphasized that estate planning and giving strategies should prioritize family harmony and care planning as prerequisites to financial gifts.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 10, 2025
At the last G7 meeting, held in Canada in June, the group's member states and Australia decided to collaborate on establishing benchmarks that are "prerequisites for the development of quantum technologies".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
As far as biological prerequisites for apple domestication were concerned, North American Indian farmers were like Eurasian farmers, and North American wild apples were like Eurasian wild apples.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
