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Next vs Afterwards - What's the difference?

next | afterwards |

As adverbs the difference between next and afterwards

is that next is in a time, place or sequence closest or following while afterwards is at a later or succeeding time.

As an adjective next

is following in a sequence.

As a determiner next

is the one immediately following the current or most recent one.

As a preposition next

is on the side of; next to.

As a noun next

is the one that follows after this one.

next

English

Alternative forms

* (l) (dialectal) * (l) (Scotland)

Adjective

(-)
  • Following in a sequence.
  • Being closer to the present location than all other items.
  • * , chapter=8
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Philander went into the next room, which was just a lean-to hitched on to the end of the shanty, and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm. Then he put the coffee pot on the stove and rummaged out a loaf of dry bread and some hardtack.}}
  • Nearest following (of date, time, space or order).
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Out of the gloom , passage=[Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.}}
  • (figuratively) Following in a hypothetical sequence of some kind.
  • *
  • Antonyms

    * previous * (closest to seven days ahead) last, this

    Determiner

    (en determiner)
  • The one immediately following the current or most recent one
  • Next week would be a good time to meet.
    I'll know better next time.
  • Closest to seven days (one week) in the future.
  • The party is next Tuesday; that is, not this Tuesday, but nine days from now.

    Adverb

    (-)
  • In a time, place or sequence closest or following.
  • They live in the next closest house.
    It's the next best thing to ice cream.
    Next , we stripped off the old paint.
  • On the first subsequent occasion,
  • Financial panic, earthquakes, oil spills, riots. What comes next ?
    When we next meet, you'll be married.

    Antonyms

    * previously

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • On the side of; next to.
  • * 1900 , The Iliad, edited, with apparatus criticus, prolegomena, notes, and appendices , translated by Walter Leaf (London, Macmillan), notes on line 558 of book 2:
  • The fact that the line cannot be original is patent from the fact that Aias in the rest of the Iliad is not encamped next the Athenians .

    Noun

    (-)
  • The one that follows after this one.
  • ''Next , please, don't hold up the queue!

    afterwards

    English

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (temporal location) At a later or succeeding time.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
  • , date=November 3 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Rubin Kazan 1 - 0 Tottenham , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Another Karadeniz cross led to Cudicini's first save of the night, with the Spurs keeper making up for a weak punch by brilliantly pushing away Christian Noboa's snap-shot.
    Two more top-class stops followed quickly afterwards , first from Natcho's rasping shot which was heading into the top corner, and then to deny Ryazantsev at his near post.}}

    Synonyms

    * afterward

    Antonyms

    * beforehand