formerly
pronunciation
How to pronounce formerly in British English:
UK [ˈfɔːməli]
How to pronounce formerly in American English:
US [ˈfɔːrmərli]
-
- Adverb:
- at a previous time
Word Origin
- formerly (adv.)
- "in times past," 1580s, from former (adj.) + -ly (2). A Middle English word for this was andersith "formerly, at former times" (early 14c.).
Example
- 1. Formerly rather passive , he appointed his own cabinet last month .
- 2. Five years later , her formerly clear image now shows cancer .
- 3. In formerly bubble economies , it is largely a balance-sheet recession .
- 4. By 1990 many products formerly manufactured in the us were being produced abroad .
- 5. South korea , formerly a military dictatorship , has developed a similarly robust democracy .