past perfect

noun

A tense which describes actions that occurred before another action or event in the past; the pluperfect or the past anterior tense.

Similar
past perfect tensepluperfectpluperfect tense
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Meanings

nounpast perfect (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA tense which describes actions that occurred before another action or event in the past; the pluperfect or the past anterior tense.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna perfective tense used to express action completed in the past

Similar
past perfect tensepluperfectpluperfect tense
Broader
perfectiveperfective tenseperfect
Also see
past anteriorpluperfectpluperfect tense

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Danish førdatid
  • førdatidtense
Finnish pluskvamperfekti
  • pluskvamperfektitense
Icelandic þáliðin tíð
  • þáliðin tíðtense
Italian trapassato remoto
  • trapassato remototense
Persian گذشته ی بعید
  • گذشته ی بعید (gozashteye ba'id)tense
Polish czas przeszły dokonany, czas zaprzeszły
  • czas przeszły dokonanytense
  • czas zaprzeszłytense
Portuguese pretérito mais-que-perfeito
  • pretérito mais-que-perfeitotense
Cite this entry
APA

past perfect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/past%20perfect

MLA

“past perfect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/past%20perfect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “past perfect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/past%20perfect.

Source: past perfect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.