Do you know the definition of precedence? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word precedence, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and Collins English Dictionary, the word precedence is a noun that refers to something having greater importance, or the highest among persons of different ranks. This could be used in legal contexts to make a judicial decision or other important decisions based on national interest or the quality of information, as well as foreign policy. Precedence can also take into account the ceremonial order of rank, clear-cut moral absolutes, and universal values. This word has a distinct meaning about the order of importance, ceremonial order, diplomatic protocol or preference that can be used in formal occasions, social formalities, or another similar case. This is called an order of precedence. Precedence is a solitaire card game that uses two decks of playing cards, and does not have a playing area or tableau, but is rather a building game, according to Definitions. The pronunciation of precedence is ˈprɛsɪdəns, and precedence is three syllables – pre-ce-dence.
Many different languages also contain words that mean precedence. You may notice that in this list of translations of precedence from Word Sense, some of these words look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words in different languages that look and sound similar because they have a shared root or language of origin.
How can the word precedence be used in a sentence?
Officials of that institution invited governors, the head of state and diplomats along with people of other professions to particular occasions on the precedence of historical relevance, basis of seniority, and association with their own city. At these diplomatic dinners, they would give out medals to people from the particular institutions.
The president of a university had his own rules of precedence for the context of people and the context of decorations he had at formal dinners welcoming new students to the university. The assumption was that he was trying to make the school seem classier than it was.
The precedence for the local officials being invited to the state occasions was an indication of functional importance and professional rank – the local orders of precedence were a court decision. Similar facts were in widespread use for safety.
They were able to create successful technology based on the precedence of using the order of operations in mathematics.
The different countries showed examples of communication precedence with their communications personnel. Subsequent cases of national independence followed this past action.
There was no precedence for the mayor to address the class struggle with flash urgency. He could not give preferential treatment to the addressees but did not know what to do to help the poor and the dignitaries, as well as the highest ranking officers and the recipients of military honors. It was a dangerous world.
What are synonyms and antonyms of the word precedence?
There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word precedence. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Synonyms are useful terms to learn if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself as well as if you are trying to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word precedence is provided by Power Thesaurus.
antedate
prepotency
ascendancy
preferment
power
preparedness
transcendency
highest place
preferences
degree
top billing
lead
priorities
front rank
outweigh
precession
preference
position
authority
preemption
priority
first place
crash project
dominion
prevalence
paramountcy
anticipation
pas
interest
precedent
leading
le pas
concern
force
significance
financial status
anteriority
advance
eldership
before
supremacy
worldly good
choice
prerogative
influence
preceding
antecedency
head start
advantage
precedency
condition
importance
front burner
weight
excellence
transcendence
earliness
leadership
preexistence
rank
prevail
caste
favor
former
pride of place
note
accent
right-of-way
antecedence
predominance
primacy
eminence
preeminence
dominance
standing
status
focus
leverage
preponderance
emphasis
heading
precede
previousness
primary
order
anteposition
ahead
control
station
place
pre-eminence
right of way
prestige
mastery
override
seniority
prominence
greater importance
superiority
good coverage
There are also numerous different related words that mean the opposite of the word precedence. These are known as antonyms, which are another great way to work on expanding your vocabulary. This list of antonyms of the word precedence is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
hindrance
lower class
lower orders
inferiority
counterbalance
offspring
result
millions
subservience
herd
commonality
ordinary people
lower order
weak spot
working class
common
public
consecution
commoners
mass
unwashed
great unwashed
ordinary
weak part
common people
upshot
conclusion
proles
consequence
commoner
populace
rag-tag
heavy losses
low class
low-class
plebs
commonalty
citizens
outcome
event
peasantry
last
ragtag and bobtail
end
masses
disability
third estate
community
mob
outgo
poor
effect
disadvantage
proletarian
hinderance
common herd
pleb
crowd
fly in the ointment
continuation
proceeds
general public
fatal accident
rabble
riff-raff
riffraff
lowliness
hoi polloi
sequel
population
posteriority
dregs
heavy loss
lowest
lower-class
commons
plebeians
scum
proletariat
peasants
peasant
subsequence
multitude
aftermath
rank and file
bourgeoisie
disfavor
people
progression
Overall, the word precedence means a great importance or rank. This word has many synonyms and antonyms.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.