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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

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