ˈæn.sɛs.tɚ ˈæn.sɛs.tə ˌantɪˈsiːdənt ˌantɪˈsiːdənt əˈsɛndənt preceding in time or order the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun a preceding occurrence or cause or event someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent) anything that precedes something similar in time phrenology was an antecedent of modern neuroscience