antepone

Antepone is a transitive verb meaning to place before in time, order, or importance; to present something as more important than another consideration. In use, one might antepone safety concerns to a project deadline, or antepose a more urgent obligation ahead of a lesser one. The term is rare and mainly found in formal, literary, or philosophical writing.

Etymology and form: The word derives from Latin ante- meaning before and ponere meaning to place. It has appeared in English since the early modern period. In some dictionaries antepone is listed as a variant of antepose, while others treat it as archaic or obscure.

Usage notes: In contemporary writing, more common choices are precede, take precedence over, or prioritize. Antepone can convey deliberate prioritization or rhetorical emphasis, but its rarity can make it sound old-fashioned or ambiguous if not clearly contextualized. Writers who use it should ensure the intended sense is evident from the surrounding text.

Relation and related terms: Antepose is a closely related form with the same core meaning of placing before. Related concepts include precedence, priority, and prioritization, which describe the act or state of giving one item or consideration priority over another.