anaphoric.

1. Referring to an expression introduced earlier in a text or conversation.

2. Using the same word or phrase at the beginnings of successive clauses or lines.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• anaphoric pronoun
• anaphoric reference
• anaphoric relation

On the page

In 'Nora arrived, and she sat down,' she has anaphoric reference.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal / analytical. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Normally non-gradable; no ordinary comparative or superlative. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Cambridge verifies backward-reference adjective; MW anaphora distinguishes linguistic reference from rhetorical opening repetition, supporting two relevant adjective uses. Writing functions: semantic analysis, language and rhetoric, conceptual distinction.