20
predecessor(noun, someone, something, precursor)
10
precursor(noun, something, precursor, antecedent, pioneer)
8
forerunner(noun, sign, example, precursor)
5
ancestor(noun, precursor, predecessor)
5
antecedent(noun, precursor)
4
progenitor
4
prototype(noun, original, example, precursor)
3
forebear(noun, precursor)
2
ancestry(noun, history)
2
foregoer
2
harbinger(noun, precursor)
2
precedent(noun, precursor)
1
avant-garde(noun, precursor)
1
forbear
1
forefather
1
foremother
1
foreshadower(noun, precursor)
1
founder(noun, precursor)
1
model
1
origin
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APASmart Define. (2016). antecessor thesaurus. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/antecessor/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2016. "antecessor thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/antecessor/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2016, antecessor thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/antecessor/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "antecessor thesaurus" 29 February 2016. Web. 21 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/antecessor/thesaurus/synonyms>