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

introductory, preliminary

erstwhile, whilom

Near Antonyms of former

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

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 comments

WORD OF THE DAY

spoonerism

transposition of initial sounds of words