hitherto

adverb

hith·​er·​to ˈhi-t͟hər-ˌtü 

ˌhi-t͟hər-ˈtü

: up to this or that time

reveals some hitherto unknown facts about her life

Synonyms

• heretofore
• theretofore
• yet

Examples of hitherto in a Sentence

at the talent show Kyle revealed his hitherto unknown gift for doing impressions

Recent Examples on the Web

There was alarm at the prospect of hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning to the U.S. with such degenerate experience under their belts, and presumably spreading these habits among hitherto innocent American wives. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

In the sciences, AI advocates promise that AI will aid in curing hitherto intractable diseases. —Nir Eisikovits, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024

Shannon's achievement was to understand how the hitherto fuzzy concept of information could be quantified, creating a discipline that expanded the view of communication and data storage. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020

Every fiscal year, boards should keep adding one new metric to their hitherto key metrics to stay on top of fast-changing technological trends. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hitherto

adverb

hith·​er·​to ˈhit͟h-ər-ˌtü 

: up to this time

hitherto unknown facts