hitherto
adverb
hith·er·to
ˈhi-t͟hər-ˌtü 
ˌhi-t͟hər-ˈtü
: up to this or that time
reveals some hitherto unknown facts about her life
Examples of hitherto in a Sentence
at the talent show Kyle revealed his hitherto unknown gift for doing impressions
Recent Examples on the Web
In just 12 months, this hitherto unknown app has become one of the go-to places for shoppers who want to get the most bang for their buck.
—
Molly Peck, Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2023
The majority of the rioters were hitherto ordinary Americans who had only recently embraced radical ideas.
—Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2022
Some signatories also worried about the more distant possibility of AI displacing workers at hitherto unseen speed.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 17 Aug. 2023
Since her beloved father’s death, the hitherto exemplary student has been skipping school, failing classes, picking fights and directing open hostility at her mother.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2023
No class appears to be stirred so deeply as the great middle class, the real strength of the country and the hitherto solid prop of the monarchy.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2023
And that’s why the non-unicorns out there might just be the best bet to take your team to hitherto unimagined heights.
—Mark C. Perna, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
The book’s title references an Atlantic magazine article in which Winkler hypothesized that Emilia Bassano Lanier — hitherto best known as A.L. Rowse’s choice for the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets — could have written the plays.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
Last month, Karen Vogtmann and Michael Borinsky posted a proof that there is a truckload of mathematical structure within a hitherto inaccessible mathematical world called the moduli space of graphs, which Vogtmann and a collaborator first described in the mid-1980s.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 16 Feb. 2023
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Molly Peck, Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2023
The majority of the rioters were hitherto ordinary Americans who had only recently embraced radical ideas.
—Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2022
Some signatories also worried about the more distant possibility of AI displacing workers at hitherto unseen speed.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 17 Aug. 2023
Since her beloved father’s death, the hitherto exemplary student has been skipping school, failing classes, picking fights and directing open hostility at her mother.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2023
No class appears to be stirred so deeply as the great middle class, the real strength of the country and the hitherto solid prop of the monarchy.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2023
And that’s why the non-unicorns out there might just be the best bet to take your team to hitherto unimagined heights.
—Mark C. Perna, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023
The book’s title references an Atlantic magazine article in which Winkler hypothesized that Emilia Bassano Lanier — hitherto best known as A.L. Rowse’s choice for the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets — could have written the plays.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
Last month, Karen Vogtmann and Michael Borinsky posted a proof that there is a truckload of mathematical structure within a hitherto inaccessible mathematical world called the moduli space of graphs, which Vogtmann and a collaborator first described in the mid-1980s.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 16 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hitherto.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hitherto was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near hitherto
Cite this Entry
“Hitherto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hitherto. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
hitherto
adverb
hith·er·to
ˈhit͟h-ər-ˌtü
: up to this time
hitherto unknown facts
More from Merriam-Webster on hitherto
Nglish: Translation of hitherto for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hitherto for Arabic Speakers
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