Definitions

formerly

[fawr-mer-lee] / ˈfɔr mər li /

ADVERB

previously in time or order

Synonyms

STRONGEST

already earlier heretofore once

STRONG

erstwhile

WEAK

a while back aforetime anciently at one time away back back back when before before now before this down memory lane eons ago erewhile in former times in the olden days in the past lately long ago of old of yore olden days once upon a time radically some time ago time was used to be water under the bridge

Antonyms

WEAK

currently future presently subsequently

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Melissa Vogel, a business anthropologist formerly of Clemson University, said the phenomenon also reflects deeper cultural patterns that blend Catholic imagery with indigenous traditions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

Nor are the formerly enslaved Americans who forced the nation to confront the grotesque contradiction between slavery and constitutional liberty.

From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026

The stock-market veteran putting investors on alert is Kevin Muir, author of The MacroTourist newsletter and formerly a derivative trader at RBC Capital Markets and Wintor Capital.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

The soap character - formerly played by the late June Brown - appears next to a dragon, a miner and rugby player in Pontyates, Carmarthenshire.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

Why, in brief, did China lose its technological lead to the formerly so backward Europe?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Vocabulary lists containing formerly

Commonly Confused Words, List 1

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Commonly Confused Words, List 3

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Commonly Confused Words, List 7

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