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

In this sector, the gradient between Turn 6 and Turn 7 reaches just over eight percent, with cars reaching the track's highest point at the latter corner. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The former has hit mostly figures of the country's opposition, while the latter has raised questions of wrongdoing by one of Lula's sons. — Mauricio Savarese, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

In the latter, one of those buyers is The Boyzzz, who then sells the products on Whatnot. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026

Investing in prestige television isn’t quite the same as investing in the next hot creator these days; the latter is certainly cheaper. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for the latter

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