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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Recent Examples of prefatory
The prefatory pause gives the audience a chance to applaud a starry ensemble.
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Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
As the author’s prefatory note indicates, the book centers on the discovery, in 2001, of an unidentified Black boy’s remains in the River Thames.
—Gboyega Odubanjo, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
As Chin writes in a prefatory author’s note, her family’s history traveled down to her primarily via oral history.
—Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
But even before her characters intersect, familiar objects — a dreidel, nesting dolls, exquisitely carved chess pieces — keep popping up in prefatory monologues and the stories themselves.
—Julia M. Klein, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023
Venice opens with a prefatory poem recalling a trip from Beirut to Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite.
—Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022
What might have gone down as an odd concert experience was energized by Taylor’s prefatory joke inviting us to imagine FBI agents singing this song during their recent search at Mar-a-Lago.
—W. Anthony Sheppard, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2022
After this prefatory video ends, a door automatically slides open, giving access to a chamber that evokes the exterior of Tut’s royal tomb, the only largely intact one ever found in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 23 June 2022
These prefatory remarks are by way of setting up the following chronology — without any claims of causation.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 17 Feb. 2022
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
As the author’s prefatory note indicates, the book centers on the discovery, in 2001, of an unidentified Black boy’s remains in the River Thames.
—Gboyega Odubanjo, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
As Chin writes in a prefatory author’s note, her family’s history traveled down to her primarily via oral history.
—Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
But even before her characters intersect, familiar objects — a dreidel, nesting dolls, exquisitely carved chess pieces — keep popping up in prefatory monologues and the stories themselves.
—Julia M. Klein, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023
Venice opens with a prefatory poem recalling a trip from Beirut to Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite.
—Dan Chiasson, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022
What might have gone down as an odd concert experience was energized by Taylor’s prefatory joke inviting us to imagine FBI agents singing this song during their recent search at Mar-a-Lago.
—W. Anthony Sheppard, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2022
After this prefatory video ends, a door automatically slides open, giving access to a chamber that evokes the exterior of Tut’s royal tomb, the only largely intact one ever found in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 23 June 2022
These prefatory remarks are by way of setting up the following chronology — without any claims of causation.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 17 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefatory
Adjective
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The ultimate sources of that water — three tanks each with a capacity of roughly 1 million gallons — were filled as a preparatory measure before the fires broke out, city authorities say.Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025
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Among Muslim countries, Qatar makes sense on a logistical level because that is where all the preparatory work took place, including the brainstorming sessions that generated the office idea and the early meetings with the Taliban's leadership envoy.Michael Semple, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2012
Adjective
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Each tour — available in English, Spanish and French — starts with a short introductory film about Warner Bros.' centurylong history.Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 26 Dec. 2024
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In practice, this has led Magon to get a lot more specific with clients in her introductory questionnaire.Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Mandich made her first appearance in court on Jan. 10, and has upcoming court appearances set for Jan. 22 and Jan. 24, the latter of which will be a preliminary examination.Bailey Richards, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
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According to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather, the wildfires are the costliest in U.S. history, with the damage being valued between $135 billion and $150 billion.Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near prefatory
Cite this Entry
“Prefatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefatory. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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