Instance and Precedent

Instance

Instance noun - One of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like.

Precedent is a synonym for instance in case topic. In some cases you can use "Precedent" instead a noun "Instance", when it comes to topics like example.

Precedent

Precedent noun - An example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time.

Instance is a synonym for precedent in authoritative example topic. You can use "Instance" instead a noun "Precedent".

How words are described

known known instance known precedent
good good instance good precedent
similar similar instance similar precedent
certain certain instance certain precedent
Other adjectives: original, obvious, entire, real, bad, early, possible, earlier.

Both words in one sentence

  • This one has some historic precedent — unstringed longbows, for instance, made pretty good quarterstaffs.
  • Film / Sully He reminds the NTSB that this was a real-life event without precedent, and that it took him and Skiles 35 seconds to run through enough of the checklists (trying — and failing — to restart the engines, for instance) to realize the true nature of their situation.
    Source: Film / Sully
  • Theatre / A Very Potter Musical Original Cast Precedent: Sometimes played straight (Lupin's mustache and Lucius' long blond hair, for instance, are carried over from the films) and sometimes subverted (Neville is blond, as the book character is according to Word of God, rather than dark-haired like in the movies).
Cite this Source
Precedent and Instance. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/instance/precedent
Instance & Precedent. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/instance/precedent>.
Precedent or Instance. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/instance/precedent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "instance" and "precedent" have occurred on timeline