sooner

[soo-ner] / ˈsu nər /

ADJECTIVE

beforehand

Synonyms

STRONGEST

earlier

STRONG

ahead

WEAK

advanced ahead of time already ante antecedently before before now fore in advance in anticipation precedently precocious previous previously

ADVERB

before

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ahead back previously since

WEAK

afore aforetime ante antecedently anteriorly before present ere fore former formerly forward heretofore in advance in days of yore in front in the old days in the past past precendently previous up to now

Antonyms

WEAK

after afterward behind later

ADVERB

rather

Synonyms

STRONGEST

willingly

WEAK

alternately alternatively as a matter of choice by choice by preference first in lieu of in preference just as soon more readily more willingly much sooner

Antonyms

WEAK

extremely insignificantly little violently

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.

But Prof Chandran and his team believe their work means affordable, effective drugs for neurological conditions could come much sooner.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Dozens of the world’s most popular funds are linked to these indexes and will likely be forced to buy recent mega-IPOs sooner than they would have before.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

SpaceX’s big news, along with Anthropic’s showing potential to turn a profit far sooner than expected and OpenAI’s prepping for its public debut, made yesterday AI’s red-letter day.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

With early voting beginning in some states even sooner, the clock is ticking.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

I guess I felt awkward, but I should have told you the truth sooner.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

sooner

Example Sentences

Related Words