erstwhile

1 of 2

adverb

erst·while ˈərst-ˌ(h)wī(-ə)l

Synonyms of erstwhile next

: in the past : formerly

cultures, erstwhile unknown to each other—

Robert Plank

erstwhile

2 of 2

Did you know?

The adverb erstwhile has been part of English since at least the 16th century, but it is formed from two words that are much older. It comes from the Old English words aer, meaning "early," and hwil, which has the same meaning as the modern word while. (The English word ere, meaning "before," is also a descendant of aer.) These days erstwhile is more likely to be encountered as an adjective, as in "erstwhile enemies." That adjective use is a much more recent development, having joined the language about three centuries after the adverb.

Examples of erstwhile in a Sentence

Adverb there's now a store where erstwhile lay green and pleasant pastures Adjective my erstwhile friend ignored me when I ran into her at the reunion

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adverb

In South Africa’s middle class suburban areas, including Randburg, where there’s more visible policing, lockdown measures are being tightly enforced, leaving several erstwhile busy stalls and shopping areas empty. —

Quartz Africa, 4 Apr. 2020

Adjective

In the gray daylight of the first days of Syria’s freedom, its citizens appear so far to be behaving not like unrestrained madmen but like traumatized, decent people worthy of their liberty, delivered even by an erstwhile jihadist. —

Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024 Advertisement The rapid advance by insurgents is a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syria’s President Bashar Assad, who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. —

Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for erstwhile