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

Winners of the 1964 and 1965 AFL championships, they were led by quarterback, Jack Kemp, who had been named to the Pro Bowl team for each of the previous six seasons, including two with the Chargers. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2025

Set in Thailand, after previous seasons in Hawaii and Italy, the latest installment promises to be grander, more epic—and much, much darker. —Charlie Campbell, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025

Production Planning Planning for future peak seasons means studying past mishaps and successes, and manufacturers can rely on technology to help understand previous seasons’ output, quality issues and other production data insights to make improvements. —Bill Rokos, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

The maximum contribution from family members is $500 million more than the previous deal. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 24 Jan. 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

Kids Definition

previous

adjective

pre·​vi·​ous ˈprē-vē-əs 

: going before in time or order : preceding, prior

previously adverb