ANCIENTLY Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

anciently

adverb

Definition of anciently

as in previously

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of anciently Tell El-Fara’in, anciently known as Imet, was a significant urban and religious hub from the Middle Kingdom onward. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025 It was used anciently as a preservative, a seasoning, and medicinally for its antibacterial properties. — Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anciently

Adverb

In late December, Koop, Page’s family office, was converted out of California and incorporated in Delaware, Fortune’s Sasha Rogelberg previously reported.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Testing autonomy at sea The three-and-a-half-hour exercise used a modified 368-ton unmanned surface vessel previously operated by the US Navy.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of previously

Adverb

Trump has also called off plans to renew attacks on Iran before.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Questions about the video will likely shadow Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire who previously ran for president but has never before held public office, in the final two weeks of the contest.

— Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of before

Adverb

Absentee investors act as hosts or hire property managers to handle bookings, packing as many as 14 people into formerly 2-bedroom units subdivided with unpermitted walls.

— Linda Robertson Updated October 22, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Zuckerberg said that Threads, the newest addition to the Family of Apps, has now overtaken X (formerly Twitter) in monthly active users, while WhatsApp is seeing all-time highs for messages sent.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of formerly

Adverb

Six of the injured are under 18 years old and the youngest is 11 years old, Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police Department said at a press conference early Sunday morning.

— Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
Brandon Miller, he of the $209 million contract extension earlier this week, started very cold and never stopped.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of early

Adverb

Eons ago a star up to 30 times the mass of our sun collapsed and perished, forming a black hole.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Japan's ties with China came under strain a year ago when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Chinese military action on Taiwan could justify Japanese involvement.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026