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
-
Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.—
Chris Roush,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026 -
Hungary’s incoming premier today showed investors how austere he is compared to his forerunner.—
Jonathan Tirone,
Bloomberg,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bathrooms are expansive and clad in white marble, foreshadowing the scale of the sublime spa across the street.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Or maybe, as some eyebrow-raising posts on social media jokingly teased, foreshadowing a possible papal presidential run?—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The micro-drama, or duanju, emerged around 2018, and became popular on Douyin, the Chinese precursor to TikTok.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Then a guy named Jerry Harvey started Z Channel, the legendary precursor to HBO.—
Donald Liebenson,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Teenagers are more inclined than their elders to get news from nontraditional sources such as social media and influencers, heralding a generational shift in how people seek out information.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Analysts are heralding the 2020s as the biggest chance in the word’s relationship to the dollar since 1974, and every day the Iran war continues, the cracks in the old system grow wider and wider.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sometimes, the departure of an underperforming executive or official presages improvements ahead.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
An index of 50 is balanced and presages neither economic expansion nor contraction.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The company’s example was seen by many as a portent of the AI future.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than receiving traditional care, however, Hylton was unwittingly plunged into a cold experiment in using remote work to offset hospital staffing shortages, which could be a grim portent in an age of AI automation.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Local water is also more reliable, even though predicting rain in the Mediterranean climate of Southern California is about as easy as choosing a winning Super Lotto number.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The mountains have a higher probability of precipitation, with weather experts predicting a 20% to 40% chance in the Bogus area.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This desire to find connection in loss hints that death can often be more tangible to process than estrangement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The first hint of celebrity Once America became an independent nation, its hatred for the crown turned into intrigue.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Prefiguring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefiguring. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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