formerly
Americanadverb
-
in time past; in an earlier period or age; previously.
a custom formerly observed.
-
Obsolete. in time just past; just now.
adverb
-
at or in a former time; in the past
-
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:
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.
In 2023, the King's Trust International - formerly the Prince's Trust - officially launched in Nigeria, announcing a project aimed at tackling youth unemployment.
From BBC
Her account on X, formerly Twitter, mixes messages about high-level diplomacy with the occasional musing on outfit choices and remarks about cooking dinner.
Jagland was formerly a chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize committee and the head of the Council of Europe, one of the continent’s top human-rights organizations.
Instead, they favor such formerly boring fare as utility, financial and consumer-staples stocks.
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
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.
