noun

(informal, UK) An existing criminal record (short for "previous convictions")

(informal, UK) A track record of similar behaviour, especially bad behaviour.

(informal, UK) A record of previous hostility or conflict (between people).

adjective

(not comparable) Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.

(informal) Premature; acting or occurring too soon.

Roots

praepre- · Latin · before, in front via-vi · Latin · way, road

Synonyms for previous

precedingadj pastadj earlieradv recentadj priorn oldadj formeradj erstwhileadj onetimeadj quondamadj foregoingadj antecedentn oldenadj beforeadv

Synonyms & related words for previous

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of previous — including preceding, past, earlier, recent, prior, old. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to previous

Explore words related to previous — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include foretime, last, afteryears, agone, subsequent, previously, ago, langsyne. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for previous

Common synonyms for previous include preceding, past, earlier, recent, prior, old, former, erstwhile — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does previous come from?

The word previous breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: pre-, from Latin prae (“before, in front”); and -vi, from Latin via (“way, road”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.