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

The previous week, Emily was at a sleepover at Heather’s house with Gretchen, when Gretchen, loosened up by shots of Fireball whiskey, revealed that Tamra once recorded a song, badly, according to Gretchen, with an unnamed boy band star that Gretchen claims Tamra got frisky with. —Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025

Rebecca Hall plays Rosenkrantz and Ben Whishaw plays Hujar, who offers a detailed account of his previous day’s activity, involving such idiosyncratic eminences as Susan Sontag and Allen Ginsberg—and the sorts of gamesmanship and intimate tensions that ensnare and frustrate artistic energies. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

Neither of her previous partners really cherished Callie or brought out her joyous side until Arizona. —James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025

The 1950s saw opportunity knocking on doors worldwide for Volkswagen, which had launched the Type 1 Käfer (Beetle) and Type 2 Kombi (Microbus) toward the end of the previous decade. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 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