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.
She had fallen out of favor with senior leaders who at times favored more lenient oversight of mergers, and she had lost Bondi’s confidence, the Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Shein had previously considered the U.S. and London as potential venue listings, before settling on Hong Kong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
By the time the BBC launched the cult cinema series Moviedrome in 1988, external, there was only one choice for opening night - the premiere of a previously unseen edit of The Wicker Man.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Neighbourhood leader Lancine Sylla had previously told AFP that he feared a heavy toll.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
When the experimental method is successful in explaining what was previously inexplicable, it thus not only establishes particular scientific theories, it also confirms the validity of the general approach which underpins experimentation.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions 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.
