as in former
having been such at some previous time
a quondam oil baron now living comfortably in retirement
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Recent Examples of quondam
By coincidence, the same day that Reichstag burned, Einstein wrote to his quondam mistress, Margarete Lenbach.
—
Thomas Levenson, The Atlantic, 9 June 2017
Thomas Levenson, The Atlantic, 9 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quondam
Adjective
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And importantly, Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership is an affirmation of its sovereignty, putting it in equal standing with its former occupier, Indonesia, within the regional bloc.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
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Shared soap opera experience wasn't the only thing Vergara had in common with former Days of Our Lives actress and current Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The thieves made off with nine items of jewelry belonging to members of France's erstwhile royal families.—
Jamie Gray,
NBC news,
21 Oct. 2025
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Rounding out the character lineup is Frau von Luber, an erstwhile aristocrat who’s reduced to being the housekeeper in newly wealthy Olim’s castle—which used to belong to her.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Estimates based on a family with two 40-year-old parents with two children, 10 years and 5 years old.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
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So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Times’ error immediately garnered write-ups in The Washington Post, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other outlets.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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Those same records also showed that the only other purchases of BAM in the state of Colorado had been from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency and the National Parks Service — both of which maintained careful records of any use of the drug, per the indictment.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quondam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quondam. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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