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

The board was formerly the Saint Francis Hospital Board of Directors. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026

Curtis is currently a senior enterprise reporter at The Battalion and formerly its editor-in-chief. — Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Taher formerly served as chief marketing officer of Wio Bank, the UAE’s first digital-only bank, as well as VP of marketing, brand and sponsorships at Etihad Airways. — Sujata Assomull, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026

As for the decision to move five categories to Night 2 of the Emmys (formerly known as the Creative Arts Emmys), the goal was to free up more time for the NBC telecast. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026