Synonyms of formerly

formerly

adverb

ˈfȯr-mər-lē 

1

as in once

at an earlier or previous time

the newspaper formerly known as "The Newsprint"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• once
• erstwhile
• onetime

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recently
• now
• currently
• presently
• lately

2

as in earlier

so as to precede something in order of time

if you didn't get a malaria shot formerly, you'd better get one now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• earlier
• already
• previously
• ahead
• early
• before
• preliminarily
• now
• antecedently
• anteriorly
• afore
• in advance
• shortly
• soon
• beforehand
• first
• prematurely
• presently
• first off
• before long
• a priori
• erelong

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• later
• afterward
• subsequently
• after
• behind
• next
• by and by

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of formerly

Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, who has held the seat since 2021 and formerly with Telemundo and Univision, is running against Eliott Rodriguez, a Democrat who anchored at CBS News Miami and WPLG-Local 10. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

An urgent call from a parent and friend who formerly worked as a nanny first alerted me to the problems at some Georgia daycare centers. — Nedra Rhone, AJC.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Cuban, formerly the majority owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks, also has more casual business practices. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026

Both devices are among the first Apple launched under its new CEO, John Ternus, who formerly led hardware engineering at Apple. — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 28 Oct. 2026