Formerly

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈfɔɹmɚli/

Definitions

1. Previously; at an earlier time in the past but not anymore
2. In the past, up to a certain point, something was once true or applicable but is no longer the case
3. At an earlier time or period, a particular situation or condition existed that has since changed

Etymology: Formerly is the simplest kind of word to trace: it is the adjective "former" with the suffix "-ly" attached, and the suffix is a very old one. Proto-Germanic had a suffix "-līkaz" meaning "having the form or appearance of," the same root that gave English "like" and "-like" in words such as "godlike." Over the centuries the Old English form "-līċe" wore down to the "-ly" we use today, which turns adjectives into adverbs. "Former" itself is a comparative, the "-er" form of the older adjective "fore," meaning "before in place or time." So "former" means "the earlier of two," and "formerly" means, in effect, "in the earlier manner." The meaning has stayed close to that sense of before, now applied to time.

Synonyms: previously, in the past, once, previously, before

Antonyms: currently, now, presently, at present, recently