previous

adjective

pre·​vi·​ous ˈprē-vē-əs 

1

: going before in time or order : prior

the previous owners

previous attempts had failed

reread the previous page

2

: acting too soon : premature

somewhat previous in his conclusion

previously adverb

Physicists have constructed a pipette that dispenses a billionth of a trillionth of a liter, a droplet that's a thousand times as small as volumes previously achieved.

—A. Cunningham

Previously, many mutations have been induced by harsh treatments such as X rays, UV light or chemicals.

—Kevin Struhl

previousness noun

Had I been capable of looking closer then, I might have asked myself why every kind of previousness miraculously survived there …

—Robyn Davidson

Synonyms

• preceding
• prior
• earliest
• early
• initial
• former
• precedent
• original

Choose the Right Synonym for previous

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before.

preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.

the preceding sentence

antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.

conditions antecedent to the revolution

foregoing applies chiefly to statements.

the foregoing remarks

previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

a child from a previous marriage

a prior obligation

former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.

the former name of the company

anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.

the anterior lobe of the brain

Examples of previous in a Sentence

She has a child from a previous marriage.

The two characters met in a previous chapter.

the previous owners of the house

Recent Examples on the Web

Only about 3% of this year's participating students came from D-or-F-rated schools, which Smith said reflected little change from the previous year. —Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has dropped the previous administration's proposal to ban bulk billing deals that require tenants to pay for a specific provider's Internet service. —Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025

As with the previous two films and the series, Robbins’ costume designs served as an extension of the characters. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025

The venture marks the latest chapter for Piron and co-founder Cole Clifford, whose previous company Dessa gained attention for creating an early viral AI deepfake of Joe Rogan. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin praevius leading the way, from prae- pre- + via way — more at way

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing previous

• previous question
• previous to
• reverted to (is previous) form
• the last/previous couple of

Rhymes for previous

• devious

Kids Definition

previous

adjective

pre·​vi·​ous ˈprē-vē-əs 

: going before in time or order : preceding, prior

previously adverb