previous

adjective

pre·​vi·​ous ˈprē-vē-əs How to pronounce previous (audio)
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
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 mark belonged to WrestleMania 37, which aired on April 10 and 11. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 During a previous hearing, Chavez was granted release on $50,000 bond and ordered not to practice medicine. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024 After winning 4-0 against Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, City equaled the competition’s unbeaten record, having not lost one of its previous 25 games, according to Opta. Ben Church, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024 His previous two books tried to cement the idea that Donald Trump is an asset of Vladimir Putin. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for previous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'previous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of previous was in 1621

Dictionary Entries Near previous

Cite this Entry

“Previous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/previous. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

previous

adjective
pre·​vi·​ous ˈprē-vē-əs How to pronounce previous (audio)
: going before in time or order : preceding, prior
previously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on previous

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