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

For the latter, which is the prosthetics approach the team ended up going with, Hiro paid special attention to the browline. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025

Both Red and 1989 were fall releases, with the latter dropping in 2014 and taking home the top honor in 2016. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are done, even if the latter continues to hang on well into his 40s. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2025

Leadling lights of the scene like Jane Remover, Frost Children and underscores — the latter of whom has its own dope new release today — help Brown achieve liftoff here, as the rapper sounds perfectly at home within his glitchier (and at times house-ier) new sonic environs. —Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for the latter

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