Standard Lemma guide

preindustrial

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or relating to the period before the Industrial Revolution and the global industrialization that followed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not yet industrialized.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • a preindustrial nation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh2- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh2i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English industrial English preindustrial From pre- + industrial.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: předprůmyslový — before industry
  • Czech: preindustriální — before industry
  • Finnish: teollistumaton — before industry
  • Finnish: esiteollinen — before industry
  • French: préindustriel — before industry
  • German: vorindustriell — before industry
  • Greek: προβιομηχανικός (proviomichanikós) — before industry
  • Hungarian: preindusztriális — before industry
  • Hungarian: iparosodás előtti — before industry
  • Polish: przedindustrialny — before industry
  • Russian: доиндустриа́льный (doindustriálʹnyj) — before industry
  • Swedish: förindustriell — before industry