formerly

adverb

for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē How to pronounce formerly (audio)
ˈfȯr-mə-
Synonyms of formerlynext
1
: at an earlier time : previously
Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople.
2
obsolete : just before

Synonyms of formerly

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of formerly in a Sentence

He was formerly a congressman. the newspaper formerly known as “The Newsprint”
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Still, those who prosper based on achieving productivity advances naturally have greater wealth than before, only to drive up other prices formerly lower due to more subdued economic growth. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 About Rocket Mortgage Rocket Mortgage, formerly operating as Quicken Loans, was the industry’s first fully online mortgage lender. — Dan Simms, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 Yiannopoulos also continued to have his eye on national politics, working on the 2024 presidential campaign of Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who fell from grace after praising Adolf Hitler and making a series of antisemitic comments. — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 Pearce formerly worked as a reporter at The Times, and served as president of Media Guild of the West, the union that represents Times journalists. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for formerly

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of formerly was in 1534

Browse Nearby Words

formeret
formerly
form factor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Formerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formerly. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

formerly

adverb
for·​mer·​ly ˈfȯr-mər-lē How to pronounce formerly (audio)
: at an earlier time : previously
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All