prefigured

verb

past tense of prefigure
as in foreshadowed
to give a slight indication of beforehand the first crocus traditionally prefigures the arrival of spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of prefigured Other Black families tried to hold on under the new regime but ultimately found Wilmington untenable and moved north, joining a local exodus that prefigured the Great Migration. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 3 July 2026 In July 1962, Froio prefigured her lifelong involvement with the Hamptons by writing a piece for WWD about what was selling at the boutiques in West Hampton, commenting on the merchandise at stores called Le Sorelle (The Sisters) and Treasure Trove. — Lorna Koski, Footwear News, 11 June 2026 Projected on an obelisk, this narrowest of histories prefigured the commemorative distortions to follow. — Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026 That prefigured, in a much smaller and less consequential way, Iran’s own actions in blocking the Strait of Hormuz during the current crisis. — Ioana Emy Matesan, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026 The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead. — Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026 Chess by telegraph also prefigured chess played through other means of telecommunications. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2025 The dynamic prefigured the White House of Bush 43, which the Veep largely staffed, and substantially dominated. — Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025 Your 2018 book, The Lies That Bind, seems to have prefigured the backlash against a certain way of talking about identity—as essential or at least fixed—that was prevalent in the 2010s. — Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefigured
  1. foreshadowed
  2. heralded
  3. predicted
  4. anticipated
  5. implied
Verb
  • Tung’s tenure and resignation foreshadowed years of pro-democracy unrest that culminated in the 2019 protests and Beijing’s repressive national security law.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The novel, published in 1988, foreshadowed the career to come by taking on, with disarming frankness, everything from child abuse to transracial adoption.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of foreshadowed
Verb
  • By game’s end, heralded UF back Jadan Baugh had just 13 yards on 12 carries.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The Segerstrom is also heralded for its hospitality; Reitz is particularly proud that the center received an award from Broadway Across America for being voted the most welcoming spot on Broadway tours.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of heralded
Verb
  • Back in 2009, there was a Department of Homeland Security report that predicted a rise in far-right extremism.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Few could have predicted the club would win its final seven games.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of predicted
Verb
  • Luca Guadagnino‘s hotly anticipated Sam Altman biopic Artificial held its premiere at the New York Film Festival on Monday night and the first reactions to the movie have already hit social media.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • As anticipated, the company, which will be called simply Skydance, has set top roles for Casey Bloys, as co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance DTC, and George Cheeks as head of Skydance TV.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of anticipated
Verb
  • Madison Square Garden has an average rating of overweight and 16% upside to analysts' consensus price target, while Sphere has an average rating of buy and implied appreciation of 64%, based on the consensus target, according to FactSet.
    — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The appellate panel took issue with jury instructions that implied the mother's lack of consent could satisfy the unlawfulness element under the federal kidnapping statute.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of implied

Browse Nearby Words

prefigure
prefigured
prefigurement
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Cite this Entry

“Prefigured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefigured. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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