There are several synonyms that can be used in place of the word "preprocessor." One alternative term is "compiler frontend," which refers to the software that pre-processes source code before compilation. Other synonyms include "code generator," "transpiler," and "translator." These terms all refer to tools that transform source code or input data into a different format that can be used by a program or system. Some other related terms include "precompiler," "macro processor" and "build tool." While these synonyms all have slightly different meanings, they share a common purpose of transforming code or data in some way before it is used by a computer system.