previously

/ˈprɪviəsli/

at an earlier time

She had previously worked in marketing before switching to finance.

This shows that her current job is not her first career.

general

at an earlier time; before now

The company had previously announced a new product line.

This means the announcement happened before the current moment.

He had previously visited Paris in 2018.

This indicates his trip to Paris was before the present time.

Often used to contrast past and present situations or states.

Collocations

previously mentionedreferenced earlier in a discussionpreviously statedsaid or written earlierpreviously unknownnot known before now

a recap of earlier events (often in TV shows)

Use 'previously' to refer to an earlier time in a sequence of events.

'Previously' is more formal than 'before' or 'earlier' and is often used in written communication.

From Middle English 'previusly', from Old French 'previus', from Latin 'prior' (earlier).

Often used in formal writing, legal documents, and technical contexts to establish chronological order.

pre-

before

prefix

-vious

related to time

suffix

-ly

adverb suffix

suffix

English Dictionary