prior month

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "prior month" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to the month immediately before the current month in financial or reporting contexts. Example: "The sales figures for the prior month indicate a significant increase in revenue compared to the same period last year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

Values were little changed in July from the prior month after adjusting for seasonal changes,.

The New York Times

The group's optimism index decreased to 91.2, the lowest since September, from 91.9 the prior month.

The New York Times

The CPI report showed gasoline prices rose 3% from the prior month on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Los Angeles Times

Pleasant initial sensitivity to tobacco and number of cigarettes smoked the prior month predicted both outcomes.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Nonmilitary capital goods orders rose 7.4percentt after declining 13.1percentthehe prior month.

The New York Times

They had estimated on average that core orders fell 8.1percentt from the prior month.

The New York Times

Costs of imported automobiles increased 0.5 percent from the prior month, Friday's report showed.

The New York Times

The report also showed employment plans were steady with the prior month.

The New York Times

Excluding all fuels, import prices increased 0.4 percent from the prior month.

The New York Times

The index of lagging indicators fell 0.2percentt in September after falling 0.3percentthehe prior month.

The New York Times

Excluding mortgage interest, the rate rose to 2.2percentt from 1.9percentthehe prior month, the National Statistics Office said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing reports or analyses, consistently use "prior month" to maintain a professional tone, especially when comparing data across periods.

Common error

Avoid using "prior month" when you actually mean the current month. Double-check your time references to ensure accuracy in your writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "prior month" functions as a temporal adjective, modifying a noun to specify a time frame. It indicates a period of one month that immediately precedes the current month. Ludwig confirms its usability, supporting its role in providing a specific temporal reference.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Science

30%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Formal & Business

10%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "prior month" is a grammatically correct and widely used term that specifies the month immediately preceding the current one. As evidenced by Ludwig, it's frequently used in formal and professional contexts, such as news reports, scientific publications, and business analyses. While alternatives like "last month" exist, "prior month" maintains a level of precision suitable for comparative data reporting. Ludwig AI highlights its consistent usage and clear meaning, making it a reliable choice for formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous month

Uses "previous" instead of "prior" maintaining the same meaning.

last month

A more common and informal way of saying "prior month".

immediately preceding month

Adds emphasis by specifying "immediately preceding" for the month directly before.

the month before

Rephrases the concept using "before" to indicate the preceding month.

preceding month

Employs "preceding" which is a more formal synonym for "prior".

the month earlier

Uses "earlier" to denote the month that came before.

month prior to the current one

A more verbose way of saying "prior month", explicitly stating the comparison.

month of reference

This is an alternative that frames the time relationship of the month in respect to a month of reference.

the month in question

Refers to a specific month discussed earlier in the context.

aforementioned month

Relates to a month previously mentioned within the same text.

FAQs

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

You can use "prior month" to refer to the month immediately before the current one. For example, "Sales increased by 10% compared to the "prior month"."

What are some alternatives to "prior month"?

Some alternatives include "previous month", "last month", or "the month before" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "prior month's" data?

Yes, it's correct to use the possessive form, such as in the sentence "The "prior month's" data showed a decline in exports."

When is it appropriate to use "prior month" instead of "last month"?

"Prior month" is generally used in more formal or professional contexts, like reports or official documents, while "last month" is suitable for informal communication.