Previous vs. Prior
Previous and Prior Definitions
Previous
Existing or occurring before something else in time or order; prior
Children by a previous marriage.
Prior
Preceding in time or order
“[They] insist that foreign vessels seeking access obtain prior approval” (Seymour M. Hersh).
Previous
(Informal) Acting, occurring, or done too soon; premature or hasty
"I have been too previous, for which you must blame the natural impatience of a man in love" (Georgette Heyer).
Prior
Preceding in importance or value
A prior consideration.
Previous
(not comparable) Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.
He is no better than the previous Prime Minister.
Prior
Usage Problem Before.
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Previous
(informal) Premature; acting or occurring too soon.
Prior
A previous conviction or arrest
The suspect has two priors.
Previous
An existing criminal record (short for "previous convictions")
It turned out the shoplifter had a lot of previous.
Prior
A monastic officer in charge of a priory or ranking next below the abbot of an abbey.
Previous
A track record of similar behaviour.
Prior
One of the ruling magistrates of the medieval Italian republic of Florence.
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Previous
Going before in time; being or happening before something else; antecedent; prior; as, previous arrangements; a previous illness.
The dull sound . . . previous to the storm,Rolls o'er the muttering earth.
Prior
Advance; previous; coming before.
I had no prior knowledge you were coming.
Previous
(used especially of persons) of the immediate past;
The former president
Our late President is still very active
The previous occupant of the White House
Prior
Former, previous.
His prior residence was smaller than his current one.
Previous
Too soon or too hasty;
Our condemnation of him was a bit previous
A premature judgment
Prior
(colloquial) Previously.
The doctor had known three months prior.
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Previous
Just preceding something else in time or order;
The previous owner
My old house was larger
Prior
A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's record.
Prior
A prior probability distribution, one based on information or belief before additional data is collected.
Prior
A belief supported by previous evidence or experience that one can use to make inferences about the future.
Prior
A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.
Prior
(historical) A chief magistrate in Italy.
Prior
Preceding in the order of time; former; antecedent; anterior; previous; as, a prior discovery; prior obligation; - used elliptically in cases like the following: he lived alone [in the time] prior to his marriage.
Prior
First, precedent, or superior in the order of cognition, reason or generality, origin, development, rank, etc.
Prior
The superior of a priory, and next below an abbot in dignity.
Prior
A chief magistrate, as in the republic of Florence in the middle ages.
Prior
A prior conviction; - said of an accused criminal.
Prior
The head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot
Prior
Earlier in time
