precondition

American  

[pree-kuhn-dish-uhn] / ˌpri kənˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

1. something that must come before or is necessary to a subsequent result; condition.

   a precondition for a promotion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to subject (a person or thing) to a special treatment in preparation for a subsequent experience, process, test, etc..

   to precondition a surface to receive paint.

precondition British  

/ ˌpriːkənˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. a necessary or required condition; prerequisite

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verb

1. (tr) psychol to present successively two stimuli to (an organism) without reinforcement so that they become associated; if a response is then conditioned to the second stimulus on its own, the same response will be evoked by the first stimulus

Etymology

Origin of precondition

First recorded in 1910–15; pre- + condition

Example Sentences

Azerbaijan sees the opening of regional communications as the main precondition for signing a comprehensive peace treaty with its rival.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

It is the precondition for any serious education.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

The first of these two preconditions was satisfied a couple of years ago, and then in 2024 the second precondition appeared to be close to doing so as well.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

One really important form of social attention is so elemental to human life that it is the necessary precondition to survive.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2025

Doubting that Christianity or Protestantism was a precondition for the Scientific Revolution leaves plenty of scope for studying the interaction between faith and science: e.g.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• arrangement
• essential
• necessity
• prerequisite
• provision
• qualification
• requirement
• requisite
• stipulation