precedent
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
An example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prehsihduhntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹɛsɪdənt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
law
A decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case.
An act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.
An established habit or custom.
The previous version.
adjective
Happening or taking place earlier in time; previous or preceding.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
Used this way, precedent is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use precedent
- “The judge's decision set an important precedent for future cases like this one.”noun
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.