forerunner

Definitions

A person or thing that precedes the coming or development of someone or something else.

A sign or symptom that warns of a future event.

Examples

The invention of the steam engine was a vital forerunner to the Industrial Revolution.

Many critics consider this experimental film to be a forerunner of the modern science fiction genre.

Synonyms

precursor pioneer harbinger herald ancestor predecessor progenitor

Antonyms

successor descendant follower offspring heir result aftermath