the latter

noun

1

: the second one of two things or people that have been mentioned

Of these two options, the former is less expensive, while the latter is less risky.

2

: the last thing or person mentioned

Of chicken, fish, and meat, I like the latter best.

3

: the thing or person that has just been mentioned

The President—or, if the latter is too busy, the Vice President—will see you shortly.

Examples of the latter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Solis said the leaves are generally utilized in cooking, clothing and animal feed, the latter particularly for goats. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026

His work travels took him and his young son Jesse around the world and exposed the latter to the world of fine wine. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2026

The sharp drop in mortgage rates over the latter half of 2025 owed in part to data showing a slowdown in hiring, which heightened expectations that the Fed would slash interest rates in an effort to boost the ailing labor market. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 2 Jan. 2026

The team revealed that the latter two traits—femoral antetorsion and gluteal complex—had previously been identified by other scientists, the Science Advances study affirmed their presence. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for the latter

• backscatter
• antimatter
• atter
• batter
• blatter
• catarrh
• chatter
• clatter
• fatter
• flatter
• hatter
• matter