preliminary
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.happening before a more important action or event to prepare for it.
adj.preceding and leading up to the main part, matter, or business; introductory in nature.
Simple“The doctors shared the preliminary results of the tests with the family.”
In context“After a preliminary investigation, the committee concluded that there was sufficient evidence to warrant a full-scale inquiry into the department's finances.”
UsageCommonly used in academic and professional contexts to describe data, research, or meetings.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.an action or event that is done as a preparation for something more important.
n.an initial step, measure, or statement that serves as an introduction to a main subject or event.
Simple“Once the preliminaries were over, the two leaders began their private meeting.”
In context“The legal team spent months dealing with the necessary preliminaries before the actual trial could begin in the High Court.”
UsageOften used in the plural form 'preliminaries' to refer to introductory remarks or administrative steps.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.an early round of a competition that decides who will go into the final.
n.an initial round or heat in a sporting competition, the results of which determine the participants for the final stages.
Simple“She performed well in the preliminaries and easily made it to the final race.”
In context“The young sprinter surprised the scouts by breaking the national record during the preliminaries, long before the medal rounds had even started.”
Usage objective preliminary · preliminary analysis · preliminary data
“The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report that about 37 percent of the fracture surface on the failed blade showed features consistent with fatigue.”
“A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an engine fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on the 10 July flight from Greece to Germany.”
Borrowed from New Latin praelīmināris, formed from prae- (“before”) + līmen (“threshold”) + -āris (adjectival suffix); compare Latin līmināris (“of or belonging to a threshold”). Compare French préliminaire.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.