antecedents

/ ˌæntɪˈsiːdənts /

plural noun

1. ancestry
2. a person's past history

Example Sentences

Two thrillers with literary antecedents — “Cross” on Prime Video and “The Day of the Jackal” on Peacock — premiere Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times

The movement that emerged under those conditions came to be known as the "Social Gospel" for Protestants, which joined like-minded Protestant antecedents and the existing tradition of Catholic social teaching to uphold the ideals of human dignity and the common good.

From Salon

The current wave of activism, he observes, is not so different from its antecedents.

From Salon

We must use accurate and direct language to describe the democracy crisis, its historical antecedents and origins, global connections, and what may happen next based on the evidence.

From Salon

A federal court in Pennsylvania ruled in 2005 that a public school could not require the teaching of the concept because intelligent design “is not science” and that it “cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents.”

From Seattle Times