Translate antecedent | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of antecedent
noun
a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another:some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa’s oral traditions (
antecedents)
a person’s ancestors or family and social background:her early life and antecedents have been traced Grammar a word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word (especially a following relative pronoun) refers. Logic the statement contained in the “if” clause of a conditional proposition. Mathematics the first term in a ratio.
adjective
preceding in time or order; previous or preexisting:the antecedent events that prompt you to break a diet denoting a grammatical antecedent.
Spell
antecedent with
-ent at the end.
