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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Shakir Khan, a former Lodi City Council member, was sentenced to three years in the San Joaquin County Jail for a conviction of election fraud and money laundering.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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And testimonials from former patients told stories of dreams come true after years of trying for a child.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The erstwhile third baseman moved to right field midway through camp last spring then placed fourth among MLB right fielders in defensive runs saved as a rookie, per Sports Info Solutions.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
24 Feb. 2026
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Directed and co-written by Alexandre Rockwell, the film follows an aspiring filmmaker (Steve Buscemi) who falls in with an irresistibly charming gangster (Seymour Cassel, who won Sundance’s first acting award) as his erstwhile producer.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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All guests, however, must be at least eight years old.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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Michael Vaughan went missing from his home in Fruitland in July 2021, triggering a search for the 5-year-old that involved law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Boise State would hang around for the final two-minute period, which stretched to about 30 minutes of actual time, as both teams repeatedly sent each other to the free-throw line and called timeouts.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
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There also have been several deaths in other Gulf countries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quondam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quondam. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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