Previous vs. Prior

Previous vs. Prior — Is There a Difference?
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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.
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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 House

Priornoun

(historical) A chief magistrate in Italy.

Previousadjective

too soon or too hasty;

our condemnation of him was a bit previousa premature judgment

Priornoun

A previous arrest or criminal conviction on someone's record.

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Previousadjective

just preceding something else in time or order;

the previous ownermy old house was larger

Priornoun

(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