1
antecedent of [someone]
She traced her lineage back to an antecedent of the royal family.
她将自己的血统追溯到一位皇室家族的祖先。
前因；前事
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
前因；前事
A thing or event that comes before another, especially one that causes it.
She traced her lineage back to an antecedent of the royal family.
她将自己的血统追溯到一位皇室家族的祖先。
Any thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thing.
祖先
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
An ancestor.
前因
a preceding occurrence or cause or event
My antecedent came from Ireland in the 19th century.
我的祖先在19世纪来自爱尔兰。
AI contextual example
The researchers traced the patient's antecedents to a small village in Italy.
研究人员将患者的祖先追溯到意大利的一个小村庄。
AI contextual example
She discovered that one of her antecedents was a famous poet.
她发现她的其中一位祖先是一位著名诗人。
AI contextual example
phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience
颅相学是现代神经科学的前身。
WordNet
She traced her lineage back to an antecedent of the royal family.
她将自己的血统追溯到一位皇室家族的祖先。
His antecedents were all farmers from the same village.
他的祖先都是来自同一个村庄的农民。
Not this
My predecessors lived in China.
Use this
My antecedents lived in China.
“predecessor”通常指前任或前身，而“antecedent”在此处应表示祖先。
Not this
I know many antecedent.
Use this
I know many antecedents.
“antecedent”作为可数名词表示“祖先”时，常用复数形式“antecedents”。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
代词先行词
In the sentence 'Mary lost her keys,' Mary is the antecedent of 'her'.
在句子“Mary lost her keys”中，Mary是“her”的先行词。
犯罪前科
He was asked about his criminal antecedents.
他被问及自己的犯罪前科。
历史先例
The historian traced the historical antecedents of the modern novel.
历史学家追溯了现代小说的历史先例。
直接前因
The protests were the immediate antecedents of the government's resignation.
抗议活动是政府辞职的直接前因。
Use antecedent naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记忆联想：蚂蚁(ant)走在最前面，它就是事件的‘前因’，也是后代的‘祖先/先例’。
语域：formal 常见场景：正式写作、学术论文、历史或哲学讨论 表示“先前发生的事或前因”时，该词通常用于正式、书面或学术语境，日常口语中不常用。
可数名词，常用单数或复数形式，指祖先或语法中的先行词。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.