erstwhile

[ urst-hwahyl, -wahyl ]
See synonyms for erstwhile on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. former; of times past: erstwhile friends.

adverb
  1. Archaic. formerly; erst.

Origin of erstwhile

1
First recorded in 1560–70; erst + while

Other words for erstwhile

Opposites for erstwhile

Words Nearby erstwhile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use erstwhile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for erstwhile

erstwhile

/ (ˈɜːstˌwaɪl) /


adjective
  1. former; one-time: my erstwhile companions

adverb
  1. archaic long ago; formerly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012