as in ahead
so as to precede something in order of time
he had arrived earlier to take care of some preliminary matters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earlier
Adverb
-
The Milwaukee Bucks have fallen behind early in each of the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025 -
While the Harvard survey doesn’t name specific causes, many young Americans may be feeling the squeeze from persistently high inflation and the resumption of student loan payments — especially those still early in their careers, when earnings tend to be lower.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Disagreements among the cardinals have already emerged in the media.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
Consumers are already starting to notice costs rising from Trump’s tariff strategy, which has been all over the map: adding some here, delaying them there, canceling them here, upping them there.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
2 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Earlier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earlier. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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