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

Current guidelines recommend annual screening for adults ages 50 to 80 with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history, who smoke or formerly smoked. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Several lawmakers said the state would not be able to absorb long term the loss of revenue as cases formerly billed to HUSKY instead beomes uncompensated care. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2026

Epic Studios, itself formerly Juggernaut Productions and MovieVerse Studio, is headed by Vivek Krishnani as CEO of its film division and Samar Khan as CEO of its OTT and TV division. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Shortly afterward, the team hired Ian Cunningham, formerly assistant general manager at the Chicago Bears, as the Falcons’ general manager and Kevin Stefanski, formerly head coach of the Cleveland Browns, as Atlanta’s head coach. — Michael Ozanian,jessica Golden, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026