Question 1 · Quick check
erstwhile
/ˈɜː(ɹ)st.waɪl/
adjective · adverb
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
adjective
Former; true or existing in the past.
- 02
adjective
Extra detailFormer, previous.
Examples
My erstwhile colleague kept me up-to-date with the company gossip.
The erstwhile lovers chatted and caught up.
At a glance
Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 4
- Parts of speech
- 2
- Citations
- 4
- Synonyms
- 5
Deep Dive
adjective
Extra meaningRespected, honourable.
adverb
Extra meaningFormerly; in the past.
More examples
In contextAs an aftermath of the erstwhile competition between companies, 41 goods depots served the Liverpool and Birkenhead docks in 1923.
“Scarcely had Alice reached her twentieth birthday, than she gave her erstwhile fiancée^([sic]) his formal congé.[…]”
If you're for one of my erstwhile opponents, that's O.K. Just don't work too hard.
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
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Nearby
Origin
adjective
From erst (“first, formerly”) + while.