Meaning & use
erstwhile
Former; belonging to an earlier time and no longer holding that role or status.
See it in a sentence
Her erstwhile business partner now runs a competing company across town.
The erstwhile champion returned to the ring for one final match.
A note on using this word
Erstwhile is literary and somewhat old-fashioned; "former" is the more common everyday choice.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “erstwhile”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.