former
[adjective]
Synonyms: previous, earlier, erstwhile, one-time, prior

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Antonyms: latter
Contrasted words: following, succeeding, supervening, current, present, future, prospective

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English Thesaurus: last, previous, former, old, final, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. for‧mer¹ S2 W1 /ˈfɔːmə $ ˈfɔːrmər/ adjective [only before noun]
[Date: 1100-1200; Origin: forme 'first' (12-16 centuries), from Old English forma]

1. happening or existing before, but not now ⇒ present, previous:
the former Soviet Union
Their farm has been reduced to half its former size.

2. having a particular position in the past Synonym : ex- ⇒ present:
my former husband
former President Clinton

3. in former times/years in the past

4. somebody/sth’s former self what someone or something was like before they were changed by age, illness, trouble etc:
She seems more like her former self.
be a shadow/ghost of your former self (=be much less confident, healthy, energetic etc than you used to be)
The team’s a shadow of its former self.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. former² noun

1. the former formal the first of two people or things that you have just mentioned Antonym : the latter:
Of the two possibilities, the former seems more likely.

2. first/second/sixth etc former British English used in some schools to show which class a student is in, according to how many years they have been in school

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

last most recent or nearest to the present time:
His last film was much better.
It rained all day last Saturday.
The last time I saw her was two years ago.
previous before this one, or before the one that you are talking about:
See the diagram in the previous chapter.
His previous records had all been jazz records.
How much were you earning in your previous job?
former [only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now:
the former Soviet Union
the former US president
Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level.
the former Chief Executive
old [only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one:
an old boyfriend
The old model was much slower.
final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc:
It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.
the final scene of the film
closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting:
the closing years of the twentieth century
Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way:
the concluding section of the report
the judge’s concluding remarks
penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one:
the penultimate chapter
continue to happen without stopping:
The good weather seems likely to continue.
Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.
Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.
The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
go on to continue, especially for a long time:
Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems:
The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want:
The meeting dragged on for another hour.
The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen:
See your doctor if the symptoms persist.
If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

previous [only before noun] used when talking about a person, thing, time etc before the one that you are talking about now:
The car’s previous owner didn’t take very good care of it.
Please ignore my previous instructions.
The temperature is higher than in previous years.
last [only before noun] used when talking about the one that you had just before now, or the one that existed just before now:
The last apartment we lived in was much smaller than this one.
Ben’s last girlfriend was a teacher.
Beth broke up with her last boyfriend because he drank too much.
old [only before noun] used when talking about people you knew or things you had in the past, or about things that existed in the past and have been replaced by newer things:
I never liked my old boss.
I saw Phil with one of my old girlfriends.
The new stadium is much bigger than the old one.
He was my old maths teacher.
preceding [only before noun] formal coming just before the time or thing you have just mentioned, or before the part of a book where you are now:
There were fewer crimes compared to the preceding year.
The author dealt with this subject in the preceding chapters of the book.
In the preceding section of the poem, Whitman is talking about how important it is to live in the present.
former [only before noun] formal used to describe someone or something that used to have a particular job or position but does not any more:
her former husband
the former US President
Kyoto was the former capital of Japan.
ex-wife/boyfriend/soldier etc someone who used to be someone’s wife, used to be a soldier etc, but is not any more:
Her dad’s an ex-policeman.
Lydia is still friends with her ex-husband.
the one before the person or thing that existed before the one you have just mentioned:
I didn’t enjoy Spielberg’s last film but I thought the one before was all right.
Each year, the convention is a little larger than the one before.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲