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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Collins easily beat former football coach Derek Dooley, according to unofficial election results.—
Tia Mitchell,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
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This often meant that European nations recruited talented footballers from their former colonies to stop them from playing elsewhere.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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The erstwhile New York resident was loudly and vigorously booed by the hometown crowd as he was shown on the jumbotron of the legendary arena.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
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Despite his meltdown in Colorado’s extra-inning loss to Milwaukee Friday night, the erstwhile starter has been one of baseball’s best relievers this season.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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The 2-year-old has not been identified as of Tuesday night.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
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Investigators also cited writings allegedly authored by Proper, the youngest member of the group at 19 years old.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Under California law, police agencies are generally required to release to the public audio and video recordings of police shootings and other critical incidents involving great bodily injury within 45 days of the incident.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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There are other awards given to restaurants and the hospitality industry but the James Beard Foundation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, puts a premium on discovery and on American cuisine.—
Jeanne Bonner,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quondam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quondam. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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