Prior vs Preceding - What's the difference?

As adjectives the difference between prior and preceding

is that prior is of that which comes before, in advance while preceding is occurring before or in front of something else, in time, place, rank or sequence.

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.

As a verb preceding is

present participle of lang=en.

prior

English

Adjective

(-)

Of that which comes before, in advance.

I had no prior knowledge you were coming.

former, previous

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 also

Derived terms

* prior to

Adverb

(en adverb)

(colloquial) Previously.

The doctor had known three months prior .

Noun

(wikipedia prior) (en noun)

A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.

* 1939 , (Raymond Chandler), The Big Sleep , Penguin 2011, p. 53:

‘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.’

(statistics) In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.

preceding

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic)

Adjective

(-)

Occurring before or in front of something else, in time, place, rank or sequence.

On the preceding Monday Shobana had gone on vacation.

Antonyms

* succeeding

Verb

(head)