FORERUNNERS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

forerunners

noun

plural of forerunner

as in precursors

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 ancestors

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

Example 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 forerunners Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company. — Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws. — Chris Roush, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026 The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts. — ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026 These were the forerunners of today’s robots. — Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026 And these projects may just be the forerunners. — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026 With little support for the WHO among Republicans — who control both the House and the Senate — there has been no push from Congress to hold the country to the provision set out by their forerunners. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 21 Jan. 2026 Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forerunners

Noun

The ideology of Third Worldism and the New Agey, anything-goes-style progressivism of the West Coast that Naipaul so keenly lacerates were necessary precursors to the mass death in Guyana.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Jack Kilby, the inventor of the integrated circuit, or microchip, and the handheld calculator—early precursors of AI.

— Jordan Blum, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of precursors

Noun

With a sensibility that reminds me of Barbara Cooney’s art and text, Rebecca tells a story inspired by the lives of Beaton’s ancestors.

— Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026
Its rise also marks the beginning of the Hindu celebration of Pitru Paksha, during which worshippers perform rites to honor ancestors by offering prayers and food to past members of their families.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of ancestors

Noun

Culture and History Crows and ravens have similarly eerie reputations as spooky harbingers of death or danger.

— Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026
Our results, just published in the journal Science, suggest that the 1982-83 and 1997-98 El Niños – two of the strongest in recent memory – may be harbingers of more extreme events to come as the planet warms.

— Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of harbingers

Noun

Compared to its predecessors, though, Roman will be able to capture large portions of the universe without losing much detail.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
John is then abducted by a group led by an alien named Antaan, who tells him about the Manhunters—ancient synthetic predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps capable of disguising themselves as other species.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of predecessors

Noun

The project heralds from Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the four co-directors behind 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Now Pedicularis had emerged as one of the first heralds of the Arctic summer, its stems wrapped in grayish, silky hairs that protect it like a warm winter coat.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of heralds

Noun

The Habitable Worlds Observatory would be the first designed to photograph Earth-like planets — and even search for chemical signs of life within the atmospheres of those planets.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
There are signs that Democratic voters, especially, are looking for change, and some young voters argue older politicians can’t truly understand a world transformed by artificial intelligence, rising housing costs and student debt.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of signs

Browse Nearby Words

forerunner

forerunners

forerunning

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Forerunners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forerunners. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of forerunners

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

apiary

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes