'Predecessor' definitions:
Definition of 'predecessor'
(from WordNet)
noun
One who precedes you in time (as in holding a position or office)
noun
Something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone [syn: harbinger, forerunner, predecessor, herald, precursor]
Definition of 'Predecessor'
From: GCIDE
- Predecessor \Pred`e*ces"sor\ (?; 277), n. [L. praedecessor; prae before + decessor one who withdraws from the province he has governed, a retiring officer (with reference to his successor), a predecessor, fr. decedere: cf. F. pr['e]d['e]cesseur. See Decease.] One who precedes; one who has preceded another in any state, position, office, etc.; one whom another follows or comes after, in any office or position. [1913 Webster]
- A prince who was as watchful as his predecessor had been over the interests of the state. --Prescott. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'predecessor'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- ancestor,
- ancestors,
- announcer,
- antecedent,
- antecedents,
- ascendants,
- avant-garde,
- bellwether,
- buccinator,
- bushwhacker,
- elders,
- explorer,
- fathers,
- forebear,
- forebears,
- forefather,
- forefathers,
- foregoer,
- forerunner,
- front runner,
- frontiersman,
- fugleman,
- grandfathers,
- grandparents,
- groundbreaker,
- guide,
- harbinger,
- herald,
- innovator,
- lead runner,
- leader,
- messenger,
- pathfinder,
- patriarchs,
- pioneer,
- point,
- precedent,
- precursor,
- predecessor,
- predecessors,
- progenitors,
- prototype,
- scout,
- stormy petrel,
- trailblazer,
- trailbreaker,
- vanguard,
- vaunt-courier,
- voortrekker