Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

former

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of former

1 having been such at some previous time
  • The coach is a former professional baseball player.
Synonyms of former

erstwhile, late, old, once, onetime, other, past, quondam, sometime, whilom
Words Related to former

bygone, dead, defunct, departed, expired, extinct, gone, long-ago, vanished
Near Antonyms of former

contemporary, current, extant, ongoing, present, present-day

coming, future, prospective, unborn
2 going before another in time or order
  • The former manual had some errors, but the current version has its own problems.
Synonyms of former

antecedent, anterior, foregoing, precedent, preceding, previous, prior
Words Related to former

advance, early, premature

earliest, first, inaugural, initial, maiden, original, pioneer

preexisting

introductory, preliminary

erstwhile, whilom
Near Antonyms of former

advanced, late

closing, concluding, final, last, latest, latter, terminal, ultimate
Antonyms of former

after, ensuing, following, later, posterior, subsequent, succeeding

Synonym Discussion of former

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before. preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.
    • the preceding sentence
antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.
    • conditions antecedent to the revolution
foregoing applies chiefly to statements.
    • the foregoing remarks
previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.
    • a child from a previous marriage
    • a prior obligation
former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.
    • the former name of the company
anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.
    • the anterior lobe of the brain

Learn More about former

  1. See words that rhyme with former Dictionary: Definition of former Spanish Central: Translation of former Nglish: Translation of former for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of former for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up former? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games