predecessor
- 01 C1 Advanced
the person who had a job or position before the person who has it now.
a person who held a specific office or position before the current holder.
Simple“The new manager changed many of the rules that her predecessor had created.”
In context“The incoming prime minister was careful not to openly criticise his predecessor, despite the significant policy shifts he intended to implement.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'of'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
an older version of a machine, tool, or system.
a model or type of machinery or device that precedes the current version, often implying the earlier one is now outdated.
Simple“This new smartphone is much faster than its predecessor.”
In context“While the current turbine is highly efficient, its predecessor suffered from frequent mechanical failures during high-wind conditions.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
a point in a diagram that comes before another point along a path.
a vertex in a directed graph that has a directed path to another specific vertex.
Simple“In this flow chart, point A is the predecessor of point B.”
In context“The algorithm must identify every predecessor of the target node before it can calculate the shortest path through the network.”
Synonymsparent nodeAntonyms
“Even today, with gen Z drinking far less than their predecessors, you still see similar scenes on the underground, although at 4am the train rattles along more quietly, carrying more wreckage.”
“As Zambians go to the polls on Thursday, the ghost of the current president’s predecessor hangs over the elections.”
From Middle English predecessour, from Old French predecesseor (“forebear”), from Late Latin praedēcessor, from Latin prae- (“pre-”) + Latin dēcessor (“retiring officer”), from Latin dēcēdō (“I retire, I die”) (English decease).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.