erstwhile
UK /ˈɜː(ɹ)st.waɪl/ · US /ˈɝst.waɪl/ adverb, adjective
- adverb (formal or literary) Formerly; in the past.
- adjective (literary, law or India) Former, previous.
- adjective (proscribed) Respected, honourable.
Synonyms
erewhile former once previous quondam onetime antecedent anterior earlier ex foregone hitherto old olden past preceding precedent prior sometime used-to-be one-time formerly at one time erst
Etymology
From erst (“first, formerly”) + while.
Webster’s 1913
- adverb Till then or now; heretofore; formerly. [Archaic]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “erstwhile”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details