exordium

noun

eg-ˈzȯr-dē-əm How to pronounce exordium (audio)
Definition of exordiumnext
as in preface
a short section (as of a book) that leads to or explains the main part in his exordium the author warns his readers that they should expect a radically different interpretation of the causes of the war

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exordium
  1. preface
  2. introduction
  3. foreword
  4. prologue
Noun
  • What could have been a throwaway nibble instead becomes a thought-through, gripping preface that sets up what’s to come.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • In the preface of her new book, MJ Corey offers a note of apology for pouring so much energy into analyzing a family that’s famously famous for being famous, and for little else, said Megan Garber in The Atlantic.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 10 June 2026
Definition of preface
Noun
  • Within the same country, a city break can mean seafood and island hopping, a cross-border weekend, centuries of university history or an introduction to life in the Arctic.
    — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • This was my introduction, on a hot Tuesday afternoon, to Shimamoto’s peerless ramen.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of introduction
Noun
  • There’s one anecdote in the cookbook’s foreword that Tiedemann wrestled with sharing.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The new edition includes previously unseen archival photographs, a new introduction, a personal eulogy for late Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and a foreword from Oasis’ Noel Gallagher.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of foreword
Noun
  • However, CyberLeek seems to have retaliated by leaking footage showing the apparent prologue of the game.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Maybe that’s because Scott is trying to differentiate the narrative style of the prologue from Tracy’s chapter.
    — Keziah Weir, Vanity Fair, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of prologue
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Exordium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exordium. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on exordium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about exordium

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