prior appointment

USAGE SUMMARY

"prior appointment" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is generally used to refer an appointment that happened before another one. For example: "I had a prior appointment with the doctor last week."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

37 human-written examples

And no prior appointment is needed!

The New York Times - Books

"The man attended by prior appointment and was not arrested.

Independent

They are accessible only via prior appointment and just 500 people looked at the collection in the last year.

The Guardian

It's considered annoying — lame, even — to pick up the phone and call someone without a prior appointment.

Harvard Business Review

Visitors to the University are not allowed to enter without a prior appointment or registration.

Harvard University

When I called him this week, he apologized for having to end the interview because of a prior appointment.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

23 human-written examples

Pediatric patients (< 18 years) presenting without prior appointments during the 4 weeks in July and August 2012 were invited to enroll; patients presenting for routine check-ups and vaccinations without appointment were excluded.

International Journal of Emergency Medicine

Prior appointments were made before travelling to the respective districts to conduct the discussions.

Human Resources for Health

In addition, educational messages can be targeted during prior appointments, based on automated profiling of future failure risk.

BMC Health Services Research

Thirty-four patients (6.8%; 16 rushed for time, 12 privacy reason, and 6 prior appointments) refused to answer the questionnaire.

BMC Public Health

The face to face individual interviews were conducted in the interviewees' office during working hours, for which prior appointments were obtained.

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When scheduling something and referring back to a previous arrangement, use "prior appointment" to clearly indicate that the arrangement was made beforehand. This helps avoid confusion about the order of events or commitments.

Common error

Avoid using "prior appointment" when referring to the most recent appointment. "Prior" indicates an appointment that occurred before the current one, not the current one itself.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "prior appointment" functions as a noun phrase, often serving as an object of a preposition (e.g., "by prior appointment", "without prior appointment") or as a modifier. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability. This phrase is used to indicate that an arrangement was made in advance.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

38%

News & Media

32%

Academia

30%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "prior appointment" is a grammatically correct and commonly used noun phrase indicating something scheduled in advance. As Ludwig AI confirms, it functions to convey that an arrangement was made at an earlier time, often impacting availability or access. While applicable across various contexts, it is most frequently found in scientific, news, and academic sources. Alternatives such as "previous arrangement" or "scheduled consultation" can be used depending on the desired nuance. Remembering to use "prior" to refer to an earlier, not current, appointment is crucial to avoid confusion.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous arrangement

Replaces 'appointment' with 'arrangement', emphasizing the act of organizing beforehand.

prearranged meeting

Uses 'meeting' instead of 'appointment' and 'prearranged' instead of 'prior', highlighting the planned nature.

scheduled consultation

Emphasizes the consultation aspect of the appointment and uses 'scheduled' to indicate it was planned earlier.

advance booking

Focuses on the act of booking in advance, common in service contexts.

established schedule

Highlights that a schedule was set up beforehand.

prescheduled time

Rephrases to emphasize that a specific time was scheduled in advance.

earlier commitment

Indicates a commitment made at an earlier time, implying a conflict or scheduling priority.

existing engagement

Implies a prior agreement or obligation already in place.

reserved slot

Emphasizes the reservation aspect of the appointment, indicating a specific time was set aside.

previously scheduled visit

Uses 'visit' in place of appointment and adds 'previously scheduled' to convey the prior arrangement.

FAQs

How can I use "prior appointment" in a sentence?

You can use "prior appointment" to indicate that something was scheduled or arranged in advance. For example, "Due to a prior appointment, I am unable to attend the meeting".

What's the difference between "prior appointment" and "previous appointment"?

"Prior appointment" and "previous appointment" are largely synonymous and can be used interchangeably to refer to an appointment that happened before the current time or event.

What can I say instead of "prior appointment"?

Alternatives include "prearranged meeting", "scheduled consultation", or "advance booking", depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "without prior appointment"?

Yes, it is perfectly correct. It indicates that something can be accessed or done without needing to schedule it in advance, such as "Walk-in Centres are primarily nurse-led primary care facilities for illness and injuries without need for prior appointment".