latter

American  

[lat-er] / ˈlæt ər /

adjective

1. being the second mentioned of two (distinguished from former).

   I prefer the latter offer to the former one.

2. more advanced in time; later.

   It's a shame that famine still exists in these latter days of human progress.

3. near or comparatively near to the end.

   This style was commonly produced in the latter part of the century.

4. Obsolete. last; final.

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noun

1. the latter, the second mentioned of a set of two (distinguished from the former).

   The only difference between the inexpensive digital watch and the expensive one is that the latter can also monitor your heartbeat.

latter British  

/ ˈlætə /

adjective

1. 1. denoting the second or second mentioned of two: distinguished from former

   2. ( as noun; functioning as sing or plural )

      the latter is not important

2. near or nearer the end

   the latter part of a film

3. more advanced in time or sequence; later

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Usage

What’s the difference between former and latter? Using the terms former and latter is a somewhat formal way to differentiate between items mentioned in a set or list without actually naming them. Former is used to indicate the first item mentioned, while latter is used to indicate the second item. Both words can be used as an adjective or a noun. In either case, they are both usually preceded by the. Here’s an example of an adjective use: When offered a choice between shorter hours and higher pay, most survey respondents chose the former option. In this example, the former option refers to shorter hours, because that’s the item that was mentioned first. Here’s an example of a noun use: I enjoy both vanilla and chocolate ice cream, but I prefer the latter. In this example, the latter refers to chocolate ice cream, because that’s the one that was mentioned second. Remember, using former and latter can sound a bit formal (and might even be confusing to people who aren’t familiar with the terms). A less formal (and potentially clearer) way to rephrase the former of the two examples would be to say When offered a choice between shorter hours and higher pay, most survey respondents chose shorter hours. To remember the difference, remember that latter sounds like (and is related to) the word later—so the latter item is the one that was mentioned later. Former and latter are sometimes both used in the same sequence. Here’s an example of former and latter used correctly in the same sentence. Example: The report presented two alternative plans: the former would be easier to implement; the latter would be less expensive. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between former and latter.

Etymology

Origin of latter

First recorded before 1000; Middle English latt(e)re, Old English lætra, comparative of læt late

Explanation

When you are comparing two things, the first one is known as the former and the second as the latter. For example, George Bush and George W. Bush were both U. S. presidents. The latter was the son of the former. The word latter is really a form of later meaning "more recent" or "that which came after." The latter recording of a band refers to the one made more recently. It also can refer to a later time, near the end. If someone is in the latter stages of a disease, the disease has just about run its course and the person is about to die.

Example Sentences

On top of that, there are the inevitable disasters, be they earthquake, fire or flood, the latter quite possibly exacerbated this winter by what may be an epic El Niño.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

The former is a truly abysmal “spy film,” if you can degrade the genre by calling it that, while the latter is the best in the franchise, which isn’t saying much.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

A youthful Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had finished second and third respectively but Brazil legend Pele mistakenly handed the latter the trophy for second place at the Zurich Opera House.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

The latter will pay $920 million a month for access to about 110,000 Nvidia GPUs.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

For example, because improvising music is far more complex than imitating basic patterns, the latter is required in order to perform the former.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• recent