Noun
- 1. former, first, number one
- usage: the first of two or the first mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"
Adjective
- 1. former(prenominal) (vs. latter)
- usage: 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"
- 2. erstwhile(prenominal), former(prenominal), old, onetime(prenominal), one-time(prenominal), quondam(prenominal), sometime(prenominal), past (vs. present) (vs. future)
- usage: belonging to some prior time; "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover"
- 3. former(prenominal), late(prenominal), previous(prenominal), past (vs. present) (vs. future)
- usage: (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"
- 4. early(prenominal), former(prenominal), other(prenominal), past (vs. present) (vs. future)
- usage: belonging to the distant past; "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"
WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University.
All rights reserved.Definition and meaning of former (Dictionary)