# prewar

/pɹiˈwɔɹ/ (US) · /pɹɪwˈɔː/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/prewar
Updated: 2026-10-16

## Definition

from the time before a war, especially before the Second World War.

For teachers: relating to or existing in the period before a war, especially the Second World War.

## Examples

- This prewar building still has its original wooden doors.
- The museum displays prewar photographs showing the city centre before the bombing destroyed most streets.
- Scholars of prewar architecture argue that the district's narrow courtyards preserved a sense of community later erased by postwar redevelopment.

## Antonyms

postwar

## Usage notes

- Typically used attributively before the noun it modifies.

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