heretofore
adverb
here·to·fore
ˈhir-tə-ˌfȯr 
ˌhir-tə-ˈfȯr
: up to this time : hitherto
heretofore unimaginable possibilities
I tell you now what we have heretofore kept secret from you—
A. C. Whitehead
A. C. Whitehead
Examples of heretofore in a Sentence
Heretofore her writing has never displayed such depth of feeling.
This technology has created heretofore unimaginable possibilities.
Recent Examples on the Web
Its music videos, which had heretofore been so art-school obscure that MTV barely played them, were now high-budget fantasias with Stipe front and center, undulating like a Robert Longo painting come to life.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Amidst the requests for the Gucci Dionysus and the Prada Cleo was a French brand heretofore unknown to him: Polène.
—Camille Freestone, refinery29.com, 2 Oct. 2024
The assignment of boarding zones, meant to quell the crowd, has heretofore been unsuccessful due to a lack of enforcement on the part of the airlines.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2024
Driven by an unrelenting collapse in fertility, family structures and living arrangements heretofore imagined only in science fiction novels will become commonplace, unremarkable features of everyday life.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for heretofore 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Amidst the requests for the Gucci Dionysus and the Prada Cleo was a French brand heretofore unknown to him: Polène.
—Camille Freestone, refinery29.com, 2 Oct. 2024
The assignment of boarding zones, meant to quell the crowd, has heretofore been unsuccessful due to a lack of enforcement on the part of the airlines.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2024
Driven by an unrelenting collapse in fertility, family structures and living arrangements heretofore imagined only in science fiction novels will become commonplace, unremarkable features of everyday life.
—Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for heretofore
Dictionary Entries Near heretofore
Cite this Entry
“Heretofore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heretofore. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heretofore
adverb
here·to·fore
ˈhi(ə)rt-ə-ˌfō(ə)r
-ˌfȯ(ə)r;
ˌhirt-ə-ˈfō(ə)r,
-ˈfȯ(ə)r
: up to this time
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share