Master confusing words with ease
Prior vs. Previous
Prior
/ˈpraɪər/Examples:
She had prior knowledge of the event before it happened.It is crucial to complete tasks with prior preparation.Any prior commitment will take precedence over new plans.
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Antonyms:
Previous
/ˈpriːviəs/Examples:
He spoke about the previous times they had met.The call had come late the previous afternoon.Miss Bates was out, which accounted for the previous tranquillity.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Prior often implies something coming before another thing in a sequence of events.
- Previous refers to something that existed or occurred before a specific point in time.
- Think of prior as related to order of events, while previous can relate to a more general sense of what came before.
- If youre considering two events where the second one depends on the first, prior' fits well.
- For a general sense of before, without dependency, previous is your friend.
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