Link Centre Dictionary

former

for·mer

UK/ˈfɔːmə/ US/ˈfɔɹmɚ/ common uk
adjective (4) noun (1)

adjective

1.

referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

  • “the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one”
Antonyms
2.

belonging to some prior time

  • “erstwhile friend”
  • “our former glory”
  • “the once capital of the state”
  • “her quondam lover”
Synonyms
Similar
3.

(used especially of persons) of the immediate past

  • “the former president”
  • “our late President is still very active”
  • “the previous occupant of the White House”
Synonyms
Similar
4.

of the distant past

  • “the early inhabitants of Europe”
  • “former generations”
  • “in other times”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

the first of two or the first mentioned of two

  • “Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today”
Antonyms

Origin

Inherited from Middle English former, comparative of forme (“first”), from Old English forma (“first”), descended from Proto-Germanic *frumô. Parallel to prior (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to first and fore (thence before), from Proto-Germanic.

Phrases

  • opinion former
  • pan former

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.