erstwhile 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of erstwhilenext
as in former
having been such at some previous time my erstwhile friend ignored me when I ran into her at the reunion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

erstwhile

2 of 2

adverb

ˈərst-ˌ(h)wī(-ə)l How to pronounce erstwhile (audio)
as in formerly
at an earlier or previous time there's now a store where erstwhile lay green and pleasant pastures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of erstwhile
Adjective
But some of Jentleson’s erstwhile allies on the left are less sanguine about his project. — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026 Its erstwhile customers will simply shift to any of the active competitors in the meantime. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Adverb
That places an extra burden on holdovers Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Reynaldo Lopez, erstwhile All-Stars who had their own injury issues last year. — Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 18 Feb. 2026 In South Africa’s middle class suburban areas, including Randburg, where there’s more visible policing, lockdown measures are being tightly enforced, leaving several erstwhile busy stalls and shopping areas empty. — Quartz Africa, 4 Apr. 2020 See All Example Sentences for erstwhile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for erstwhile
  1. former
  2. formerly
  3. old
  4. once
  5. other
Adjective
  • Auriemma also checked in on another of his former players, Tiffany Hayes, 37, who is playing a big role for Golden State.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Unless, of course, there’s another former RHOC Housewife waiting in the wings to rescue her.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of former
Adverb
  • Snap, the parent company that owns Snapchat, led the pack along with X, formerly known as Twitter, and Microsoft.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Superhuman, the productivity company formerly known as Grammarly, agreed in June to acquire GPTZero for undisclosed terms.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of formerly
Adjective
  • The 30-year-old actress, who was named the Chinese brand ambassador for Kors last March, made her acting debut at 10 and has played numerous roles in historical, fantasy and romantic dramas.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The backstory Wynn Las Vegas opened in 2005 on the site of the old Desert Inn, with Encore following in 2008; the big move was pulling spectacle inside instead of giving it away free at the curb.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of old
Adverb
  • Morganti pointed to Spanish-language horror, a genre that was once treated as niche, as another area where Amazon has seen the market expand.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • This time, the intent was for SpaceX to circle the globe from an altitude of 170 miles -- not just once but six times over almost 10 hours, ending with a Pacific splashdown near Chile.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of once
Adjective
  • And Starship will have other hurdles to clear as well, even if today's flight goes perfectly.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The film is up for Video of the Year, as well as a swath of other categories including Best Direction, Cinematography, and Choreography.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of other

Browse Nearby Words

ersatz
erstwhile
eruct
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Erstwhile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/erstwhile. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All