prerevolutionary
adjective
pre·rev·o·lu·tion·ary
ˌprē-ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē 
variants
or pre-revolutionary
: of, relating to, or being a time before a revolution
prerevolutionary society
in prerevolutionary France
the prerevolutionary period/era
The pre-revolutionary writings of Lenin and Stalin are filled with discussions of the Nationality Question.—
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick MoynihanExamples of prerevolutionary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Turchin’s historical examples include prerevolutionary France, Russia, and Iran; another is the United States in this decade.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Israel is clear that its ultimate goal is to pound Iran into total submission to restore some semblance of the country’s prerevolutionary society.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 18 June 2025
Or, rather, there were individual aristocrats, merchants, and laborers choosing different sides in these prerevolutionary moments.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Its plot concerns a large cast of characters undergoing radical metamorphoses: prerevolutionary drunkards become postrevolutionary zealots, simple peasants become shrewd military commanders, and MEK fighters become the regime’s number one enemy.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
The year began with Israel’s first stable government in years, Iran in a prerevolutionary situation, and a stable Iraq.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
Fans brought flags stripped of the national emblem, or versions bearing the insignia of prerevolutionary Iran, to games.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2022
The scale models of ships and planes that children would build in youth centers emphasized the historical continuity of Russian and Soviet technological breakthroughs, implicitly undermining the official narrative of the Bolshevik Revolution’s radical break from the prerevolutionary era.
—Alexey Golubev, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
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George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Israel is clear that its ultimate goal is to pound Iran into total submission to restore some semblance of the country’s prerevolutionary society.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 18 June 2025
Or, rather, there were individual aristocrats, merchants, and laborers choosing different sides in these prerevolutionary moments.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Its plot concerns a large cast of characters undergoing radical metamorphoses: prerevolutionary drunkards become postrevolutionary zealots, simple peasants become shrewd military commanders, and MEK fighters become the regime’s number one enemy.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
The year began with Israel’s first stable government in years, Iran in a prerevolutionary situation, and a stable Iraq.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
Fans brought flags stripped of the national emblem, or versions bearing the insignia of prerevolutionary Iran, to games.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2022
The scale models of ships and planes that children would build in youth centers emphasized the historical continuity of Russian and Soviet technological breakthroughs, implicitly undermining the official narrative of the Bolshevik Revolution’s radical break from the prerevolutionary era.
—Alexey Golubev, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Prerevolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prerevolutionary. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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