prior to now

USAGE SUMMARY

"prior to now" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It means "before this moment" or "before now." Example: Prior to now, I had never traveled outside of my home country.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

28 human-written examples

Bottas was GP3 champion in 2010 ahead of his appointment at Williams, where he has played a patient role prior to now being given his long-awaited chance.

Independent

But in virtually every generation prior to now there was the assumption, and you might think of it as an imperative especially for women, that they were to bear children.

Harvard Business Review

Spotify also experimented with original podcasts prior to now.

TechCrunch

Prior to now, TrustEgg has only been going through limited, private friends and family testing.

TechCrunch

(It was being tested privately in these markets prior to now).

TechCrunch

Which is exactly what we did, and explains why we have not done so in public prior to now.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

32 human-written examples

Prior to this now all CheckBoxes can unconditionally be set to false, which makes our Procedure even easier.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The series has been pirated almost 37,000 times during the first week of April in the US in the run up to the season five premiere, prior to HBO Now launching on 7 April.

Independent

We also found out a few days ago that three weeks prior to the now infamous Rudy Eugene Causeway Cannibal/Miami Zombiee" face-eating attack, Miami police tasered a naked, knife-wielding man along a busy stretch of US-1.

Vice

The seven patients had developed 10 HNC prior to the now presented oesophageal cancers.

British Journal of Cancer

Standard of care prior to transplantation now uses agents with less myelosuppressive activity than oral melphalan, the agent most widely used in the past.

Bone Marrow Transplantation

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "prior to now" to clearly indicate a contrast between a past situation and the current one. Ensure the context makes this temporal relationship evident to the reader.

Common error

While "prior to now" is grammatically sound, avoid overusing it in informal contexts. Simpler alternatives like "before now" or "previously" might be more appropriate for everyday conversation or casual writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "prior to now" functions as a prepositional phrase acting as an adverbial, modifying a verb or clause to indicate a time before the present. Ludwig confirms its correct usage, providing real-world examples to illustrate its function.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

54%

Science

23%

Formal & Business

12%

Less common in

Wiki

7%

Academia

4%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "prior to now" is a grammatically correct prepositional phrase that functions as an adverbial, indicating a time before the present. Ludwig's analysis confirms its correct usage and provides ample examples from reputable sources. While "prior to now" is a common phrase, it's crucial to consider the context and audience. As Ludwig AI confirms, more informal alternatives such as "before now" or "previously" might be more appropriate in casual settings, whereas "prior to now" maintains a neutral to formal tone suitable for news, business, and academic writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Before now

Slightly less formal and more direct.

Before this

A more concise and informal version.

Until now

Emphasizes the duration leading up to the present.

Up to this point

Highlights a specific moment as the cutoff.

Up until the present

Emphasizes continuity to the current moment.

Previously

A single-word adverb, suitable for more concise writing.

Formerly

Indicates a previous state or condition.

In the past

A more general way to refer to a time before the present.

In earlier times

More descriptive and literary.

Hitherto

A more formal and less common synonym for 'until now'.

FAQs

How can I use "prior to now" in a sentence?

Use "prior to now" to specify a time before the present, often to contrast a past condition with the current situation. For example: "Prior to now, I had never traveled outside my home country."

What are some alternatives to "prior to now"?

You can use alternatives like "before now", "until now", or "previously" depending on the context.

Is it always necessary to use "prior to now", or are there simpler options?

While grammatically correct, "prior to now" can sometimes sound overly formal. In many cases, simpler options such as "before now" or "previously" are perfectly suitable and can improve readability.

What's the difference between "prior to now" and "until now"?

"Prior to now" generally refers to a point in time before the present, while "until now" emphasizes the duration leading up to the present. The choice depends on whether you want to highlight a specific point or a period of time.