Subsequent means happening or coming after something else. The antonyms for the word subsequent include preceding, former, prior, initial, and earlier. Preceding refers to something happening or existing before something else, while former means the previous state of something. Prior denotes something occurring earlier in time or order. Initial signifies the first in a series, while earlier implies something happening before a particular time or event. These antonyms for subsequent can help add variety to your writing and provide a more nuanced meaning to your text.