Standard Lemma guide

previously

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɹiːvi.əsli/
  • General-American: /ˈpɹivi.əsli/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IY1 V IY0 AH0 S L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

First; beforehand, in advance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

At an earlier time; already.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The discovery of a previously unknown species had taken place nearly two years previously.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Recapitulating the preceding episodes of a series.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: broadcasting, media, television

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

at an earlier time or formerly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she had previously lived in Chicago
  • he was previously president of a bank
  • better than anything previously proposed
  • a previously unquestioned attitude
  • antecedently arranged

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: antecedently

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English previous Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English previously From previous + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

82 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ahtna: hwtsecʼa — at an earlier time
  • Arabic: قَبْلًا (qablan) — at an earlier time
  • Arabic: قَبْل (qabl) — at an earlier time
  • Aramaic: הידין — at an earlier time
  • Armenian: նախապես (naxapes) — at an earlier time
  • Armenian: նախօրոք (naxōrokʻ) — at an earlier time
  • Armenian: նախորդիվ (naxordiv) — at an earlier time
  • Bulgarian: преди (predi) — at an earlier time
  • Bulgarian: някога (njakoga) — at an earlier time
  • Catalan: anteriorment — at an earlier time
  • Catalan: prèviament — at an earlier time
  • Chinese Cantonese: 以前 (ji5 cin4) — at an earlier time
  • Chinese Cantonese: 舊時 /旧时 (gau6 si4) — at an earlier time
  • Chinese Mandarin: 以前 (yǐqián) — at an earlier time
  • Chinese Mandarin: 先前 (xiānqián) — at an earlier time
  • Corsican: anteriormente — at an earlier time
  • Czech: dříve — at an earlier time
  • Czech: předtím — at an earlier time
  • Danish: før — at an earlier time
  • Dutch: tevoren — at an earlier time
  • Dutch: vroeger — at an earlier time
  • Esperanto: antaŭe — at an earlier time
  • Finnish: aikaisemmin — at an earlier time
  • Finnish: aiemmin — at an earlier time
  • French: autrefois — at an earlier time
  • French: auparavant — at an earlier time
  • French: antérieurement — at an earlier time
  • French: précédemment — at an earlier time
  • Galician: previamente — at an earlier time
  • Georgian: ადრე (adre) — at an earlier time
  • Georgian: წინათ (c̣inat) — at an earlier time
  • German: zuvor — at an earlier time
  • German: vorher — at an earlier time
  • German: früher — at an earlier time
  • German: ehemals — at an earlier time
  • Greek: προηγουμένως (proïgouménos) — at an earlier time
  • Hindi: पहले (pahle) — at an earlier time
  • Hungarian: azelőtt — at an earlier time
  • Hungarian: az előzőekben — at an earlier time
  • Hungarian: korábban — at an earlier time
  • Icelandic: áður — at an earlier time
  • Indonesian: dulu — at an earlier time
  • Irish: roimh ré — at an earlier time
  • Italian: precedentemente — at an earlier time
  • Italian: anteriormente — at an earlier time
  • Italian: in antecedenza — at an earlier time
  • Italian: antecedentemente — at an earlier time
  • Italian: in precedenza — at an earlier time
  • Japanese: 予め (arakajime) — at an earlier time
  • Japanese: 以前 (izen) — at an earlier time
  • Japanese: 予て (kanete) — at an earlier time
  • Japanese: 先に (saki-ni) — at an earlier time
  • Korean: 앞서 (apseo) — at an earlier time
  • Central Kurdish: لەمەوبەر (lemewber) — at an earlier time
  • Latin: prius — at an earlier time
  • Latin: anteā — at an earlier time
  • Low German: fördem — at an earlier time
  • Low German: fördęm — at an earlier time
  • Maltese: dari — at an earlier time
  • Old English: furþum — at an earlier time
  • Persian: قبلا (qablan) — at an earlier time
  • Polish: poprzednio — at an earlier time
  • Portuguese: antes — at an earlier time
  • Portuguese: anteriormente — at an earlier time
  • Russian: пре́жде (préžde) — at an earlier time
  • Russian: ра́нее (ráneje) — at an earlier time
  • Russian: ра́ньше (ránʹše) — at an earlier time
  • Sanskrit: प्रथमम् (prathamám) — at an earlier time
  • Scottish Gaelic: ro làimh — at an earlier time
  • Serbo-Croatian: prethodno — at an earlier time
  • Serbo-Croatian: претходно — at an earlier time
  • Spanish: anteriormente — at an earlier time
  • Spanish: previamente — at an earlier time
  • Spanish: con anterioridad — at an earlier time
  • Swedish: förut — at an earlier time
  • Swedish: tidigare — at an earlier time
  • Urdu: پہلے (pahle) — at an earlier time
  • Uzbek: avval — at an earlier time
  • Welsh: o'r blaen — at an earlier time
  • Welsh: yn flaenorol — at an earlier time
  • Dutch: wat voorafging — recapitulating the preceding episodes of a series
  • Hungarian: az előző részek tartalmából — recapitulating the preceding episodes of a series
Real reading context

previously in complete knowledge articles