Synonyms for former
ˈfɔr mərfor·mer

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. formeradjective

   Antonyms:
   latter

2. formeradjective

   previous

   Dave was the former of the company.

   Synonyms:
   quondam, erstwhile, anterior, ex-, previous, prior

   Antonyms:
   latter

3. formeradjective

   first of aforementioned two items. Used with the, often without a noun.

   The former is a good idea but the latter is not.

   Synonyms:
   anterior, erstwhile, ex-, quondam, previous, prior

   Antonyms:
   latter

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. former

   The efficient cause, that which makes anything to be or be done, is the common meaning of the word, as in the saying "There is no effect without a cause." Every man instinctively recognizes himself acting through will as the cause of his own actions. The Creator is the Great First Cause of all things. A condition is something that necessarily precedes a result, but does not produce it. An antecedent simply precedes a result, with or without any agency in producing it; as, Monday is the invariable antecedent of Tuesday, but not the cause of it. The direct antonym of cause is effect, while that of antecedent is consequent. An occasion is some event which brings a cause into action at a particular moment; gravitation and heat are the causes of an avalanche; the steep incline of the mountain-side is a necessary condition, and the shout of the traveler may be the occasion of its fall. Causality is the doctrine or principle of causes, causation the action or working of causes. Compare DESIGN; REASON.

   Synonyms:
   actor, agent, antecedent, author, causality, causation, cause, condition, creator, designer, fountain, motive, occasion, origin, originator, power, precedent, reason, reason, source, spring

   Antonyms:
   consequence, creation, development, effect, end, end, event, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, result

   Preposition:
   The cause of the disaster; cause for interference.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. former

   Synonyms:
   preceding, antecedent, previous, prior, earlier, ancient, bygone, anterior, first-mentioned, foregoing

   Antonyms:
   succeeding, subsequent, posterior, latter, modern, coming, future

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. formeradjective

   the first of two or the first mentioned of two

   "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"

   Antonyms:
   latter, present(a), future

2. former(a)adjective

   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:
   latter, future, present(a)

3. erstwhile(a), former(a), old, onetime(a), one-time(a), quondam(a), sometime(a)adjective

   belonging to some prior time

   "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover"

   Antonyms:
   latter, present(a), future

4. former(a), late(a), previous(a)adjective

   (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"

   Antonyms:
   latter, future, present(a)

5. early(a), former(a), other(a)adjective

   belonging to the distant past

   "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"

   Antonyms:
   latter, present(a), future

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. formeradjective

   Synonyms:
   maker, framer, author, creator, constructor

2. formeradjective

   Synonyms:
   previous, prior, anterior, antecedent, preceding, foregoing

3. formeradjective

   Synonyms:
   quondam, ci-devant, late, old-time

4. formeradjective

   Synonyms:
   past, gone by

5. formeradjective

   Synonyms:
   first named, first mentioned

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. formeradjective

   Synonyms:
   antecedent, preceding, previous, prior, foregoing, bygone, quondam, ci-devant

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "former":

   ex, old, previous, ancient, antigua, ago, earlier, prior, past, before, preceding, formerly, elders, predecessor, exs, first, ancien, ex-girlfriend, ex-, ex-boyfriend, anciens, ex-president, erstwhile, alumni, outgoing, f.d., ousted, ancienne, ex-wife, long-standing, legacy, previously, last, elder, ex-combatants, antique

Suggested Resources

1. Former

   Former vs. Latter -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Former and Latter.

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How to use former in a sentence?

1. Russian President Vladimir Putin:

   } The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Donald Trump to Moscow in weekend call 02:49 This most recent call with Putin comes amid fresh scrutiny of Trump's phone calls with foreign leaders and the White House's handling of those conversations, including recent attempts to limit the number of people who can listen in. It also occurred as Putin's influence on Donald Trump -- particularly Russian President Vladimir Putin views toward Ukraine -- is being closely examined. Reminder : The Washington Post reported that former Donald Trump administration officials feared Russian President Vladimir Putin had planted a conspiracy that Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 US election. One of the officials told the Post that Donald Trump considered the theory credible because trump credits impeachment for reelection fundraising haulThe President's 2020 campaign announced Thursday that it had raised $ 46 million in the final quarter of 2019, noting in a statement that the period represents.

2. Boris Romantschenko:

   I wish you the best of luck from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that no one ever has to go through what we former prisoners experienced.

3. Elise Stefanik:

   Karoline Leavitt is on pace to be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, a former staffer of mine.

4. Evelyn Farkas:

   I was urging my former colleagues … ‘Get as much information as you can, get as much intelligence as you can before President Obama leaves the administration’ because I had a fear that, somehow, that information would disappear with the senior people who left.

5. Charles Caleb Colton:

   There are two modes of establishing our reputation: to be praised by honest men, and to be abused by rogues. It is best, however, to secure the former, because it will invariably be accompanied by the latter.