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

• antecedent
• anterior
• foregoing
• former
• precedent
• preceding
• prior

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 version of the Covid vaccine was greenlit by the FDA on September 11, 2023. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2024

The researchers also ran a simpler model using only soreness, sleep quality, perceived life stress score, and perceived recovery scores from the previous two days. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 19 Aug. 2024

All 122 episodes of the Nineties cop drama are now on Peacock, along with Homicide: The Movie, a 2000 telefilm featuring the entire cast — even the ones whose characters died at some point in the previous seven seasons. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2024

Despite leading a relatively private life now, Connor grew up in Los Angeles and has worked in the entertainment industry in previous years. —Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 18 Aug. 2024

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

Kids Definition

previous

adjective

pre·​vi·​ous ˈprē-vē-əs 

: going before in time or order : preceding, prior

previously adverb