Previous vs. Prior
Difference Between Previous and Prior
Previousadjective
(not comparable) Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.
He is no better than the previous Prime Minister.Prioradjective
Advance; previous; coming before.
I had no prior knowledge you were coming.Previousadjective
(informal) Premature; acting or occurring too soon.
Prioradjective
Former, previous.
His prior residence was smaller than his current one.Previousnoun
An existing criminal record (short for "previous convictions")
It turned out the shoplifter had a lot of previous.Prioradverb
(colloquial) Previously.
The doctor had known three months prior.Previousnoun
a track record of similar behaviour.
Priornoun
A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.
Previousadjective
(used especially of persons) of the immediate past;
the former presidentour late President is still very activethe previous occupant of the White HousePriornoun
(historical) A chief magistrate in Italy.
Previousadjective
too soon or too hasty;
our condemnation of him was a bit previousa premature judgmentPriornoun
A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's record.
Previousadjective
just preceding something else in time or order;
the previous ownermy old house was largerPriornoun
(statistics) In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution, one based on information or belief before additional data is collected.
Priornoun
the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot
Prioradjective
earlier in time
