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Glite Dictionary
formerly

formerly

161 1.9
At an earlier time
  • adverb
  • /ˈfɔrmərli/
translation icon : anteriormente
  • In late October, he was replaced by Algirdas Brazauskas, formerly a party secretary for industrial affairs.
  • formerly known as
  • formerly impoverished
  • formerly prosperous country

And you can follow me on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

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Examples

  • So you can see that this one was formerly planted right here.

  • And you can follow me on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

    Adam Conover

  • This is the artist formerly known as James Smith.

  • I was, uh... formerly a guest here.

    The Rock (1996)

  • You turned things that were formerly crimes into non crimes.

  • The programs that are successfully reaching out to formerly disenfranchised students are taking their culture into account.

    Academic text (1999)

  • It's called dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personalities.

    Nefarious (2023)

  • This is Heidi Roizen, CEO, formerly of a very significant tech firm.

  • The bedroom was a tremendous high-ceilinged space that had formerly been a spacious parlor.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The restaurant, formerly a popular gathering place, has now closed its doors.

Synonyms

before
vsformerly
∞ 1.0

At an earlier time

is a general past reference not tied to a comparison with another time
once
vsformerly
∞ 1.0

At some time in the past when something was true but not now

is broader meaning at various earlier times rather than one occasion
previously
vsformerly
625 1.1

At an earlier time than now or the time mentioned

is the simple past reference without explicit link to a mentioned time
at one time
vsformerly
112 2.8

In the past

is broader, applying to past periods rather than that single point
sometime
vsformerly
  • Formal
3 5.5

Having had a job or role in the past, not now

is more general, covering any past time not only roles or positions
erstwhile
vsformerly
  • Formal
1 8.1

At an earlier time but not now

is more general about past time rather than a specific past moment

Antonyms

now
4 1.0

The present moment when something is happening

How Recent

recently
∞ 1.0
formerly
161 1.9
long ago
521 1.0

Surface Forms

formerly positive

Morphology

formerly = former (transparent) = former + ly

The adverb is a straightforward derivation from the adjective 'former' with the productive suffix '-ly', so its meaning 'in the past' is directly predictable.

Etymology

Formerly comes from the word former, which means 'earlier' or 'before', plus the ending -ly that turns it into a word of time. So formerly means 'in the past' or 'at an earlier time'.