as in forerunner
something believed to be a sign or warning of a future event
the preaching of John the Baptist is generally regarded by Christians as a prefiguring of the ministry of Jesus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in foreshadowing
to give a slight indication of beforehand
the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefiguring
Noun
-
Last week the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case Little vs. Hecox, which began in 2020 when Idaho became a forerunner for states with laws that ban trans athletes in women's and girls' sports.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 July 2025 -
For some years, the Octagon was home to Ohio’s militia, a forerunner to today’s National Guard; during the summer, soldiers would erect tents and practice training exercises.—
Kevin Williams,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
That weakness could be a foreshadowing of the inflation to come.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane.—
Chris Sims,
Louisville Courier Journal,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
To this day, headlines are heralding the impending demise of critical cancer, heart disease, and terminal research, but these headlines are fearmongering at their finest.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Others doubled down on the idea that the robot displayed the first signs of conscious aggression, heralding a future in which AI no longer passively follows human commands.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Chinese authorities have since controlled a number of these precursor chemicals.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
12 July 2025
-
As a precursor of sorts for CBS stalwart Survivor (which returns for its 49th edition on September 24), Big Brother is the perfect reality appetizer before the ultimate main course.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The key question investors and the Fed are trying to answer is whether this slight slackening presages a far worse outlook, even a recession, or whether reports of rising uncertainty merely reflect people’s feelings, not economic reality.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
18 June 2025
-
The result is chaos, bewilderment and delay that presages rising consumer prices.—
Peter S. Goodman,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The 49ers being the sixth favorite to win the Super Bowl next year seems insane and more based on past success rather than predicting future success.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
-
By predicting workload patterns, teams can proactively adjust resources before they're needed while maintaining performance.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The portents at Birmingham are not good given that in eight contests between the two nations, England have won seven and drawn one.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
Appearances aren’t deceptive; the portents are grim.—
Christian Schneider,
National Review,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
Analyst Joseph Spak lowered his price target to $51 from $64, implying 11% upside.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Citi kept its buy rating with a $265 per share price target, implying 46% upside to Friday’s close.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Prefiguring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefiguring. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share