formerly

American  

[fawr-mer-lee] / ˈfɔr mər li /

adverb

1. in time past; in an earlier period or age; previously.

   a custom formerly observed.

2. Obsolete. in time just past; just now.

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formerly British  

/ ˈfɔːməlɪ /

adverb

1. at or in a former time; in the past

2. obsolete in the immediate past; just now

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Etymology

Origin of formerly

First recorded in 1580–90; former ¹ + -ly

Compare meaning

How does formerly compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• formerly vs. formally

Example Sentences

Instead, they favor such formerly boring fare as utility, financial and consumer-staples stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Strategy is the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, and the development comes just hours before the company — formerly known as MicroStrategy and still technically a software company — is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter earnings report.

From MarketWatch

X, formerly Twitter, shareholders are the ones who should be positively euphoric about recent developments.

From Barron's

About the author: Thomas W. Hazlett formerly served as chief economist of the Federal Communications Commission.

From Barron's

Go for a gas-powered vehicle if you want to save money on insurance, especially since electric-vehicle tax credits that formerly helped offset costs have expired.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• already
• earlier
• heretofore
• once