Synonym Chooser

How is the word previous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of previous are antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, preceding, and prior. While all these words mean "being before," 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

Where would antecedent be a reasonable alternative to previous?

The synonyms antecedent and previous are sometimes interchangeable, but antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.

conditions antecedent to the revolution

In what contexts can anterior take the place of previous?

While the synonyms anterior and previous are close in meaning, anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.

the anterior lobe of the brain

When might foregoing be a better fit than previous?

In some situations, the words foregoing and previous are roughly equivalent. However, foregoing applies chiefly to statements.

the foregoing remarks

When is it sensible to use former instead of previous?

Although the words former and previous have much in common, former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.

the former name of the company

When can preceding be used instead of previous?

The meanings of preceding and previous largely overlap; however, preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.

the preceding sentence

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of previous The previous time City had played at Wembley was a decade earlier, for the memorable win over Gillingham. Michael Cox, New York Times, 29 June 2025 For the ultimate biomimicry, Yue thought that the answer to the problems experienced with previous models was to come up with a sucker that simulated the mucus secretion of octopus suckers. ArsTechnica, 28 June 2025 His achievement not only broke his own previous record of 282 half-marathons in 12 months, between 2022 and 2023, but also earned him a world title, according to news agency SWNS. Reem Amro, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025 This could involve cleaning up data for specific use cases, like using real-life data from previous customer interactions to train AI agents for customer care relations. Imran Aftab, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for previous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for previous
Adjective
  • In the preceding month, Gamestop also closed its NFT marketplace, just months after removing support for its NFT wallet.
    Nicholas Kitonyi, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Most of those were seized on Oct. 7, 2023, but others were taken hostage in the preceding decade, and a substantial number are no longer alive.
    Jerome Socolovsky, NPR, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Contrast this with Forrester’s Total Economic Impact study of a leading CDP public cloud deployment, which showed that organizations achieved a 99.5% reduction in costs to scale data analytics and a 97.6% faster time to value compared to prior inelastic setups.
    Rafael Flores, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • But Prevost, who was prior general, came several times.
    Belinda Luscombe, Time, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.
    Brit Morse, Fortune, 7 July 2025
  • The flooding began with a catastrophic storm that dropped 12 inches of rain in the early morning hours Friday, primarily between midnight and dawn.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
Adjective
  • Phishing Email Detection And Response Phishing remains the most common initial attack vector.
    Karan Alang, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • Disclaimer: For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • However, a lawsuit against the university by three former women's swimmers over their experience in sharing a team with Thomas is still active.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2025
  • Elon Musk on Tuesday suggested that President Donald Trump‘s former adviser and close ally, Steve Bannon, will return to prison.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • That’s because precedent changes in small but important ways all the time.
    Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
  • That’s because precedent changes in small but important ways all the time.
    Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Because these are open-box deals, the items have been taken out of their original packaging and could arrive with minor scratches—but that won’t stop us from accepting the massive discount.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 June 2025
  • The ultra-high-performance model, which debuted in 2023 at the very tail end of the third-generation Challenger’s lifecycle, added a 3.0-liter supercharger to the original Demon variant’s 6.2-liter Hellcat V-8.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Previous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/previous. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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