Synonym Chooser

How is the word prior distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of prior are antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, preceding, and previous. While all these words mean "being before," previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

a child from a previous marriage
a prior obligation

In what contexts can antecedent take the place of prior?

While in some cases nearly identical to prior, antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.

conditions antecedent to the revolution

When might anterior be a better fit than prior?

Although the words anterior and prior have much in common, anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.

the anterior lobe of the brain

When can foregoing be used instead of prior?

The meanings of foregoing and prior largely overlap; however, foregoing applies chiefly to statements.

the foregoing remarks

When is it sensible to use former instead of prior?

The words former and prior can be used in similar contexts, but former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.

the former name of the company

When is preceding a more appropriate choice than prior?

In some situations, the words preceding and prior are roughly equivalent. However, preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.

the preceding sentence

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prior Also adding to the cash injection for Kaleidoscope are prior investors like The Raine Group, former MTV leader Tom Freston and venture capital firm Nimble Ventures. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025 The man from Mexico had prior convictions for car theft and drug possession. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 July 2025 From the fourth quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2025, Millar estimates the economy will grow a meager 0.5%, compared to 2.5% the prior year. Paul Davidson, USA Today, 13 July 2025 Contrast this with Forrester’s Total Economic Impact study of a leading CDP public cloud deployment, which showed that organizations achieved a 99.5% reduction in costs to scale data analytics and a 97.6% faster time to value compared to prior inelastic setups. Rafael Flores, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for prior
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prior
Adjective
  • The tournament grounds feature three main retail sites: the Centre Court Shop, the No. 1 Court Shop and the Museum Shop, along with five express shops and an additional nine kiosks.
    Tim Newcomb, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Atrium Ljungberg, White Arkitekter A huge, new city is being built in Sweden, but it’s not being constructed using steel or concrete — its main building material is wood.
    Lucy Handley, CNBC, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • About 44% reported being in poor mental health within the previous month.
    Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
  • This year's Run for the Roses also drew in the highest ever average viewership with nearly 18 million viewers, which is up 6% from the previous year.
    Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • No, corn sweat is not the primary cause behind the heat wave Cincinnati is experiencing this week.
    Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 24 July 2025
  • Last month’s mayoral primary election showed New Yorkers want their leaders to commit to bold transformative ideas.
    Tony Simone, New York Daily News, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • The project is the first to enlist youth to do this monitoring.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
  • With the first two episodes already having so much drama, the rest of the summer is sure to be eventful.
    Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • Where in the past the predominant parties would at least pay lip service by either demanding higher taxes or lower spending, that appears to be out the window in DC these days.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 24 July 2025
  • Your predominant dosha—whether vata, pitta, or kapha—affects everything from your personality to your sleep tendencies.
    Anjana Rajbhandary, Outside Online, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • Solid-state batteries may also allow Western producers to localize production — thereby weaning themselves away from China's dominant supply chains .
    Sam Meredith, CNBC, 22 July 2025
  • That would make humans, rather than the moon, the dominant driver of changes to day length.
    Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Just as Russia has declined in its military might since the break-up of the Soviet Union a generation ago, Grossfeld says, its status as one of the globe’s foremost space powers has likewise slipped away.
    Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • But all that nuttiness took place a long time ago, under the influence, and, according to the world’s foremost Ozzy authority, such is not really the case.
    Erik Hedegaard, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Before Emmy nominee Harris Yulin died on June 10, he had been cast in a leading role in MGM+‘s upcoming comedy series American Classic, starring opposite Kevin Kline, Jon Tenney, and Laura Linney.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 18 July 2025
  • Intelsat has been playing a leading role in both of these globe-changing breakthroughs, with its colossal cutting-edge satellites beaming broadband internet connections to expanding waves of users across the planet, including hotspots that have been decimated by armed conflicts.
    Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prior.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prior. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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