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

Including the 2020 first-round pick Pittsburgh gave up to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers spent nine of their previous 10 first-round picks on defense, beginning with Cameron Heyward in 2011. —Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024

Take the previous cycle, for example: in 2021, bitcoin rallied to nearly $70,000 as more and more investors piled in but the subsequent year, the token plunged to less than $17,000 on the back of a series of major crypto company bankruptcies. —Ryan Browne,arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2024

During these services, Black Americans praise God for their communal and individual liberation over the previous year. —Nyya Toussaint / Made By History, TIME, 31 Dec. 2024

January My fourth, annual Rock Hall letter was for Indigo Girls, which, like all previous letters (The Go-Go’s, Sinéad O’Connor, Tori Amos) feels like such an obvious overlook. —Liza Lentini, SPIN, 31 Dec. 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