preexisting 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of preexistingnext
as in previous
existing at an earlier time; existing before something else The insurance does not cover preexisting medical conditions. They made changes to the preexisting law.

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preexisting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of preexist
as in preceding
to go or come before in time an advanced Mesoamerican civilization whose apex and collapse preexisted the arrival of Europeans by hundreds of years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for preexisting
  1. previous
  2. preceding
  3. precedent
  4. initial
  5. original
Adjective
  • The changes allow stocks to be eligible to join the index 15 days after an IPO, compared to a previous wait period of at least three months.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • Prior to the Balogun gift, the only previous time a World Cup red card was nullified during the tournament was in 1962 when FIFA overturned the suspension of Brazil star Garrincha.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of previous
Verb
  • When this place is eventually gone — a phrase that feels truly bizarre given the environment this summer and the half-century preceding it — the lasting images will be the seas of red.
    — Sam McDowell Updated July 3, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • Cage’s score is an abstract work based on the Japanese form of collective poetry known as renga, in which each poet attempts to write a line that is as distant as possible in meaning from the preceding line.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of preceding
Adjective
  • Their protections may have been further eroded with a precedent decision recently in which the Board of Immigration Appeals determined that DACA status alone is not enough to stop deportation.
    — Hallie Golden, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
  • These tools can generate a first-draft NDA within seconds by drawing on vast training libraries of precedent agreements and current market standards.
    — AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of precedent
Adjective
  • Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association members have broadened to include NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • Balogun matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude's four in the initial tournament in 1930.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • All that to say, a glass of rye whiskey, one of the oldest drinks in America and the original base of many of our earliest cocktails like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, is an easy way to honor the scrappy American spirit.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Here, the material can be charged earlier by light or another energy source, stored in the dark, and then used later to power a chemical reaction after the original energy input has been expended.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026
Definition of original
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Preexisting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preexisting. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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