formerly
Americanadverb
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in time past; in an earlier period or age; previously.
a custom formerly observed.
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Obsolete. in time just past; just now.
adverb
-
at or in a former time; in the past
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obsolete in the immediate past; just now
Etymology
Origin of formerly
Compare meaning
How does formerly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adverb formerly to describe something that happened earlier. A history teacher might explain that the city of Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople. Something that existed previously, or that has changed in some way over time, can be talked about using the word formerly. Your graceful math teacher might have formerly been a professional dancer, and the building where you take fencing lessons could have formerly been a textile mill. If something happened once upon a time, it happened formerly. The origin of the word traces all the way back to the Proto-Germanic formo, or "first."
Vocabulary lists containing formerly
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Commonly Confused Words, List 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cam Baker is managing editor and formerly a reporter for Bloomberg News.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
We now live in an era where the formerly “Evil Empire” Yankees seem like an outgunned mom n’ pop shop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Lithwick: Separated from their children, not yet full citizens, formerly enslaved parents faced unimaginable odds to reunite their families.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Much of that influence comes via X, formerly Twitter, the social media platform that Musk bought outright in 2022.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The threatened prosecution of aliens also backfired on the Federalists, when Irish immigrants in New York and Germans in Pennsylvania, formerly staunch supporters of the Adams administration, went over to the Republicans in droves.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
