PREFATORY Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

prefatory

adjective

ˈpre-fə-ˌtȯr-ē

Definition of prefatory

as in preparatory

coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows in prefatory remarks he offered his own definition of "civilization", a word subject to a variety of interpretations

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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 prefatory There was a prefatory letter by Archibald MacLeish, a professor at Harvard and a former Librarian of Congress, and an introduction by Mark Schorer, a professor of English at Berkeley, along with blurbs from other eminent men of letters. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 Despite some discouraging downward trends, all the prefatory jawing could go a long way toward siphoning off a fair number of viewers who might otherwise be locked in on the NFL. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025 The prefatory pause gives the audience a chance to applaud a starry ensemble. — Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefatory

Adjective

Chinese, Russian troops train together The PLA contingent traveled to Russia by road, rail and air and participated in the preparatory phase alongside forces from Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Account managers have seen their preparatory work shrink—AI can assemble meeting notes, summarize calls, draft follow-ups and flag patterns across client communication.

— Victor Karpenko, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of preparatory

Adjective

If interest rates are higher when that introductory period ends, your monthly payment and interest costs could rise significantly.

— Mike Winters, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
OpenAI says Dot usage will temporarily not count against eligible users' plan allowances during the introductory period, with longer-term usage terms still to come.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of introductory

Adjective

There are also plans afoot by the French defense procurement agency (DGA) called SNA3G, which are preliminary plans for an eventual replacement of the Suffren-class in the future.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Martelly’s name was among 16 listed Friday on the Provisional Electoral Council’s website as having preliminary registered to run.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of preliminary

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prefacing

prefatory

prefer

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“Prefatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefatory. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prefatory

adjective

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