Preceding and Preliminary

Preceding

Preceding adjective - Going before another in time or order.
Usage example: had not eaten since the preceding day

Preliminary is a synonym for preceding in introductory topic. In some cases you can use "Preliminary" instead an adjective "Preceding", when it comes to topics like earlier.

Preliminary

Preliminary adjective - Coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows.
Usage example: we need to do some preliminary research in order to properly focus the experiment

Preceding is a synonym for preliminary in introductory topic. You can use "Preceding" instead an adjective "Preliminary", if it concerns topics such as preparatory.
Cite this Source
Preliminary and Preceding. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/preceding/preliminary
Preceding & Preliminary. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/preceding/preliminary>.
Preliminary or Preceding. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/preceding/preliminary.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "preceding" and "preliminary" have occurred on timeline