predecessor

noun

pre·​de·​ces·​sor ˈpre-də-ˌse-sər 

ˈprē-;

ˌpre-də-ˈse-,

ˌprē- 

1

: one that precedes

especially : a person who has previously occupied a position or office to which another has succeeded

2

archaic : ancestor

Synonyms

• ancestor
• antecedent
• archetype
• daddy
• foregoer
• forerunner
• granddaddy
• grandaddy
• precursor
• prototype

Examples of predecessor in a Sentence

Today's computers are much faster than their predecessors were.

the once-ubiquitous typewriter was the predecessor of today's electronic keyboard

Recent Examples on the Web

And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025

Scholz’s predecessor, Angela Merkel, often went head-to-head with Trump and reportedly believed that the U.S. president specifically had it out for Germany during his first term. —Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025

Last year, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden fired the inspector general of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, after an investigation found the official had created a hostile work environment. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

This processor surpassed the performance of its predecessor in the S24 Ultra, which scored 2,273 and 7,056 on the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark. —PCMAG, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English predecessour, from Anglo-French predecessur, from Late Latin praedecessor, from Latin prae- pre- + decessor retiring governor, from decedere to depart, retire from office — more at decease

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

predecessor

noun

pre·​de·​ces·​sor ˈpred-ə-ˌses-ər  ˈprēd- 

: one that precedes

especially : a person who has held a position or office before another

Etymology

Middle English predecessour "predecessor," from early French predecesseur (same meaning), from Latin praedecessor "one that goes before," from prae- "before, pre-," and decessor "retiring governor," from decedere "to depart," from de- "from" and cedere "to go, go away" — related to ancestor, concede