preliminary en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- prĭlĭmʹĭnĕri (General-American)
- /pɹiˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/ (General-American)
- prĭlĭmʹĭnəri (Received-Pronunciation)
- /pɹɪˈlɪmɪnɛɹi/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /pɹɪˈlɪmɪn(ə)ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin praelīmināris, formed from prae- (“before”) + līmen (“threshold”) + -āris (adjectival suffix); compare Latin līmināris (“of or belonging to a threshold”). Compare French préliminaire.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory.
An email from ICE headquarters to the agency’s top officials on October 5 lamented that “a considerable amount of athletically allergic candidates” had been showing up to the academy; they had “misrepresented” their physical condition on application forms. The email directed leaders at ICE’s field offices to conduct preliminary fitness exams with new recruits before sending them to the academy.
2025 October 20, Nick Miroff, “ICE’s ‘Athletically Allergic’ Recruits”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 20 Oct 2025:And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison.
1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:These are just the preliminary results.
The Zurich group has shared a preliminary writeup of its findings.
2025 April 28, Kate Travis, “Experiment using AI-generated posts on Reddit draws fire for ethics concerns”, in Retraction Watch, archived from the original on 10 Jun 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| præliminary | alternative, archaic | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
preliminarily · preliminary results · postpreliminary · preliminary ruling · preliminary injunction · nonpreliminary · preliminary examination · preliminary considerations
Synonyms
preparatory · initial · introductory
Translations (43)
az ilk (in preparation for the main matter) · es preliminar (in preparation for the main matter) · nl voorbereidend (in preparation for the main matter) · bg подготвителен (in preparation for the main matter) · lt preliminarus (in preparation for the main matter) · fi esi- (in preparation for the main matter) · oc preliminar (in preparation for the main matter) · bg предварителен (in preparation for the main matter) · ro introductiv (in preparation for the main matter) · de vorbereitend (in preparation for the main matter) · ru предвари́тельный (in preparation for the main matter) · fr préliminaire (in preparation for the main matter) · cy rhagarweiniol (in preparation for the main matter) · tr öncü (in preparation for the main matter) · cmn 預備 /预备 (in preparation for the main matter) · az ibtidai (in preparation for the main matter) · cmn 初步 (in preparation for the main matter) · pl wstępny (in preparation for the main matter) · ja 予備的 (in preparation for the main matter) · nb foreløpig (in preparation for the main matter) · fi alustava (in preparation for the main matter) · cs předběžný (in preparation for the main matter) · fi preliminaarinen (in preparation for the main matter) · ko 예비의 (in preparation for the main matter) · nn preliminær (in preparation for the main matter) · tr ilk (in preparation for the main matter) · ro pregătitor (in preparation for the main matter) · nn foreløpig (in preparation for the main matter) · ca preliminar (in preparation for the main matter) · ru подготови́тельный (in preparation for the main matter) · gl preliminar (in preparation for the main matter) · az ilkin (in preparation for the main matter) · nb preliminær (in preparation for the main matter) · ro preliminar (in preparation for the main matter) · tr geçici (in preparation for the main matter) · sv preliminär (in preparation for the main matter) · ga réamh- (in preparation for the main matter) · tr ön (in preparation for the main matter) · hu előzetes (in preparation for the main matter) · pt preliminar (in preparation for the main matter) · de vorläufig (in preparation for the main matter) · it preliminare (in preparation for the main matter) · ka წინასწარი (in preparation for the main matter)