Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

prerequisite

American  
[pri-rek-wuh-zit, pree-] / prɪˈrɛk wə zɪt, pri- /

adjective

  1. required beforehand.

    a prerequisite fund of knowledge.

noun

  1. something prerequisite.

    A visa is still a prerequisite for travel in many countries.
    Synonyms:
    precondition, essential, requisite, requirement
prerequisite British  
/ priːˈrɛkwɪzɪt /

adjective

  1. required as a prior condition

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. something required as a prior condition

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of prerequisite

First recorded in 1625–35; pre- + requisite

Compare meaning

How does prerequisite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On the demand side, the speed and magnitude of new threats is unprecedented, and customers increasingly view greater security as a prerequisite for AI adoption.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Today, earning at least six figures has become a prerequisite for most home buyers in the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 31, 2026

In U.S. politics, authenticity is treated as a prerequisite, despite it never really being defined.

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2026

Peek noted a certain equanimity and optimism in him, however: either a prerequisite for, or product of, his decades of studying the most brutal and destabilizing moments of other people’s lives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

I was literally overwhelmed when, in reading the works of Russian revolutionists, I came across descriptions of the “holiday energies of the masses,” “the locomotives of history,” “the conditions prerequisite for revolution,” and so Forth.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.