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.

How to pronounce former?

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How to use former in a sentence?

1. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

   I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

2. Bob Corker:

   Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen was first elected governor in 2002, having served as Nashville’s mayor before that. Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen led Tennessee until 2011. When Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen won re-election in 2006, Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen became the first governor to win all 95 counties in Tennessee, according to Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen campaign website, which also touts Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen penchant for working across the aisle on legislative issues. Additionally, Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen created a health care management company. Outgoing Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican, gave a boost to Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen in the race as Bob Corker said Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is sure to appeal to at least some GOP voters. He was a very good mayor, a very good governor, a very good business person, look, I ’m not going to campaign against someone who I’ve been friends with and worked with.

3. Martin Luther:

   I had a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons ofthe former slaves and the sons of the former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood

4. Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly:

   President Donald Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly told a Des Moines audience Tuesday that his former boss can’t admit to making a mistake because “his manhood is at issue here.” “I don't understand it, although I had to deal with it every day, said Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general who served as Trump’s top aide from July 31, 2017, until his Jan. 2, 2019, resignation.

5. Candace Owens:

   I never once called Former President Donald Trump ‘ too old. ’ I never once said Former President Donald Trump could not understand the Internet. And yet, somehow, Former President Donald Trump got that information and believed it to be true, actually, what I was saying was a defense of Former President Donald Trump so that Former President Donald Trump supporters would still believe in Former President Donald Trump.