previously
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of previously
Explanation
The adverb previously is good for talking about something that happened in the past. If you've read a novel previously, you might just skim it before your book group meets to discuss it. When you talk about things that happened before, whether recently or in the distant past, the word previously can be helpful. You could mention at a job interview that before your current job, you were previously employed as a flight attendant, or tell a date that though you're single now, you were previously married to a famous movie star. Previously comes from the adjective previous, with its Latin root praevius, "going before," from prae, "before," and via, "road."
Vocabulary lists containing previously
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 71-80
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Lesson 12
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: pre-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Brinker had previously guided for adjusted earnings of $12.60 to $13.40 a share on revenue of $6.15 billion to $6.27 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Though Disney previously said it faced “international visitation headwinds” at its domestic parks, that trend has since “moderated,” executives said during the company’s most recent earnings call in August.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
At the same time, ServiceNow is reducing its spending and raised its full-year free-cash-flow margin outlook to 36%, up from 35% previously.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
The OBR now thinks inflation will stay higher for longer than previously forecast, peaking at 3.8% in 2027.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Whatever misgivings he’d previously had about them seemed to have been abandoned, because he was fastidiously studying Nkrumah’s journal while two little girls decorated his curly hair with flowers.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
