formerly

adverb

for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē 

ˈfȯr-mə-

1

: at an earlier time : previously

Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople.

2

obsolete : just before

Synonyms of formerly

• once

Examples of formerly in a Sentence

He was formerly a congressman.

the newspaper formerly known as “The Newsprint”

Recent Examples on the Web

Ukrainian drones have taken aerial control of three highways running along the coast to Crimea, according to analyst Mick Ryan, author of the blog Futura Doctrina and formerly a senior officer in the Australian army. —Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 20 June 2026

Beren has achived high ratings from customers since moving into a stylish dining room that was formerly a vegetarian fine-dining restaurant. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2026

Amid the nearly $1 million scandal, Daniel Chartraw, formerly of South Lake Tahoe, was accused of controlling companies, including Crypto-Pal LLC. —Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2026

Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. —Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

formerly

adverb

for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē 

: at an earlier time : previously