Preferential vs Prior - What's the difference?
preferential | prior |
Of or relating to the showing or giving of preference.
Of that which comes before, in advance.
former, previous
A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.
* 1939 , (Raymond Chandler), The Big Sleep , Penguin 2011, p. 53:
(statistics) In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.
As adjectives the difference between preferential and prior
is that preferential is of or relating to the showing or giving of preference while prior is of that which comes before, in advance.As an adverb prior is
previously.As a noun prior is
a high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.preferential
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Club members received preferential seating.
prior
English
Adjective
(-)- I had no prior knowledge you were coming.
- His prior residence was smaller than his current one.
Usage notes
The etymological antonym is (m) (from Latin) (compare (m)/(m) for “first/last”). This is now no longer used, however, and there is no corresponding antonym. Typically either (m) or (m) are used, but these form different pairs – (m)/(m) and (m)/(m) – and are more formal than prior . When an opposing pair is needed, these can be used, or other pairs such as (m)/(m) or (m)/(m).Synonyms
* See alsoDerived terms
* prior toNoun
(wikipedia prior) (en noun)- ‘And a little later we get the routine report on his prints from Washington, and he's got a prior back in Indiana, attempted hold-up six years ago.’