previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

PRIOR definition: preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous. See examples of prior used in a sentence.

PRIOR meaning: 1. existing or happening before something else, or before a particular time: 2. before a…. Learn more.

Usage Note: Though prior usually modifies a noun that comes after it, as in prior approval, it sometimes modifies a noun for a unit of time which precedes it, as in five years prior.

A prior claim or duty is more important than other claims or duties and needs to be dealt with first. The firm I wanted to use had prior commitments.

The earliest known use of the word prior is in the early 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for prior is from 1607, in the writing of Barnabe Barnes, poet and playwright.

Dec 26, 2025 · This adjective has no positive form; rather, it serves as the comparative (prior) and superlative (prīmus) of the preposition prae. (Compare the preposition post, with comparative …

An informative prior expresses specific, definite information about a variable. An example is a prior distribution for the temperature at noon tomorrow. A reasonable approach is to make the …

Prior Authorization Information Prior Authorization Prior Authorization is a review process that a member’s health plan uses to make sure the medications, tests and treatments they receive …

PRIOR definition: 1. existing or happening before something else, or before a particular time: 2. before a…. Learn more.