SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
prologue
noun
An introductory section preceding the main action or text.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Opening section
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topA prologue precedes the main narrative or action. A foreword is often a separate contributor's introduction, and overture is chiefly musical.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See prologue in use
The prologue explains why the narrator returns to the island.
A student theater group created a short play about a fictional railway waiting room on its final evening of use. The prologue introduced a traveler reading an old note left inside a borrowed book, a poignant moment that connected an ordinary object with an absent friend.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license