| Main Entry: | preliminary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | introductory, initial |
Synonyms: |
basic, elemental, elementary, exploratory, first, fundamental, inductive, initiatory, opening, pilot, preceding, precursory, prefatory, preparatory, preparing, primal, primary, prior, qualifying, readying, test, trial |
Antonyms: |
closing, concluding, final |
| Main Entry: | preliminary |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | introductory event; beginning |
Synonyms: |
first round, foundation, groundwork, initiation, introduction, opening, preamble, preface, prelims, prelude, preparation, start |
Antonyms: |
closing, conclusion, finale |
| Main Entry: | antecedent |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | prior |
Synonyms: |
anterior, earlier, foregoing, former, past, precedent, preceding, precursory, preliminary, previous |
Antonyms: |
after, following |
| Main Entry: | elementary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | simple, basic |
Synonyms: |
ABCs, abecedarian, basal, beginning, child's play, clear, duck soup, easy, elemental, essential, facile, foundational, fundamental, initial, introductory, meat and potatoes, original, plain, prefatory, preliminary, primary, primitive, primo, rudimentary, simplest, simplex, simplified, straightforward, substratal, uncomplex, uncomplicated, underlying |
Antonyms: |
abstruse, advanced, complex, complicated, compound, difficult, hard, intricate, involved, secondary |
| Main Entry: | experimental |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | exploratory |
Synonyms: |
beginning, developmental, empirical, experiential, first stage, laboratory, momentary, on approval, pilot, preliminary, preparatory, primary, probationary, provisional, speculative, temporary, tentative, test, trial, trial-and-error, unconcluded, under probation, unproved |
Antonyms: |
proven, tested, tried |
| Main Entry: | foreword |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | introduction to a document |
Synonyms: |
exordium, overture, preamble, preface, preliminary, prelude, prelusion, proem, prolegomenon, prologue |
| Notes: | the foreword is written by someone other than the author; the preface is written by the author or editor preface and foreword were once considered the same (Latin praefari 'speak before,' Germanic/Anglo-Saxon vorwort 'preface') but now preface is written by the author and foreword by someone else |
Antonyms: |
addendum, epilogue, postscript |
| Main Entry: | inchoate |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | undeveloped, beginning |
Synonyms: |
amorphous, elementary, embryonic, formless, immature, imperfect, inceptive, incipient, just begun, nascent, preliminary, rudimentary, shapeless, unfinished, unformed, unshaped |
Antonyms: |
developed, grown, mature |
| Main Entry: | preceding |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | earlier, above |
Synonyms: |
above-mentioned, above-named, aforeknown, aforementioned, aforesaid, ahead of, antecedent, anterior, before, erstwhile, foregoing, forerunning, former, forward, front, head, heretofore, introductory, lead, leading, one time, other, past, pioneer, pioneering, precedent, precursive, precursory, preexistent, prefatory, preliminary, preparatory, prevenient, previous, prior, prodromal, supra |
Antonyms: |
after, below, following, later |
| Main Entry: | preface |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | introduction |
Synonyms: |
beginning, exordium, explanation, foreword, overture, preamble, preliminary, prelude, prelusion, proem, prolegomenon, prologue |
Antonyms: |
appendix, conclusion, ending, epilogue, finish |
| Main Entry: | prelude |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | beginning of event |
Synonyms: |
commencement, curtain-raiser, exordium, foreword, intro, introduction, overture, preamble, preface, preliminary, prelusion, preparation, proem, prolegomenon, prologue, start |
Antonyms: |
ending, epilogue, postlude |