FORERUNNER Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'forerunner' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of forerunner are harbinger , herald , and precursor . While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage. // the blockade was the forerunner of war

Q: How do 'harbinger' and 'herald' relate to one another, in the sense of 'forerunner'?

Harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event. // their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season // the herald of a new age in medicine

Q: When would 'precursor' be a good substitute for 'forerunner'?

The synonyms precursor and forerunner are sometimes interchangeable, but precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another. // 18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

forerunner

noun

ˈfȯr-ˌrə-nər

Definition of forerunner next

as in precursor

one that announces or indicates the later arrival of another the return of the swallows is traditionally regarded as a forerunner of spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in ancestor

something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed enjoyed the demonstration of the simple hand loom that was the forerunner of today's computer-controlled looms

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word forerunner distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of forerunner are harbinger, herald, and precursor. While all these words mean "one that goes before or announces the coming of another," forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage.

the blockade was the forerunner of war

How do harbinger and herald relate to one another, in the sense of forerunner?

Harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event.

their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season

the herald of a new age in medicine

When would precursor be a good substitute for forerunner?

The synonyms precursor and forerunner are sometimes interchangeable, but precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another.

18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of forerunner Some Latin American nations are now even forerunners in the global struggle for LGBT equality. —

Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2016 Being a forerunner in your circle will put you in a good position and enable you to quickly field new possibilities, offering advantages. —

Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024 Lilly developed its forerunner more than 30 years prior, according to reporting from FiercePharma. Market pricing for prescription drugs creates the incentives that perpetuate this cycle of innovation. —

Sally Pipes, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 Dunham became, in time, a kind of spiritual mother to him—a forerunner in his fight to establish a school where Black dance idioms could be studied. —

Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for forerunner

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forerunner

Noun

Poor sleep is associated with insulin resistance (cells do not respond to insulin to take in blood glucose for energy, causing blood sugar levels to rise), which may be the precursor to prediabetes (having blood sugar levels that are not quite high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes).

Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 16 Dec. 2024
The last time the Democratic Party faced this scale of electoral defeat was also the precursor to its greatest twenty-first-century success.

Ben Rhodes, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2024