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. South Korean lawmakers:

   Thae Yong-ho, Pyongyang's former deputy envoy to the United Kingdom who defected in 2016, said Italy Wednesday at a press conference in Seoul. Read More.

2. Honoré de Balzac:

   If those who are the enemies of innocent amusements had the direction of the world, they would take away the spring, and youth, the former from the year, the latter from human life.

3. Henry Fielding:

   He that can heroically endure adversity will bear prosperity with equal greatest of the soul; for the mind that cannot be dejected by the former is not likely to be transported without the latter.

4. Hank Sheinkopf:

   Is there an irony here because he spoke incessantly about the income gap and is now earning from those same people he criticized? Yes it is, should we expect it? Yes, we should because all former presidents do this. He went on the attack against Wall Street and now he’s being fed by those same people he called ‘fat cats’. It’s more hypocritical than ironic.

5. Hillary Clinton:

   Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned whether Huma Abedin’s status as a Special Government Employee (SGE), which enabled her to hold four positions simultaneously, created conflicts of interest…Grassley’s letter was prompted by emails from Abedin’s official State Department account obtained by Fox News…[in the messages] Abedin discusses diplomatic matters as well as issues related to her work for both the Clinton Foundation and Teneo, a firm co-founded by a longtime aide to former president Bill Clinton.