# formerly

Pronunciation: US say "FOR-mur-lee" /ˈfɔɹmɚli/; UK say "FAW-muh-lee" /ˈfɔːməli/

## Adverb

1. At an earlier time; previously, in contrast to the present situation.
   - Simple: At an earlier time, but not now.
   - _The company, formerly a family business, was sold to investors last year._
   - _He formerly served as the town's mayor before retiring._
2. At some point in the past, during a period that has since passed.
   - Simple: At some point during the time before now.
   - _This region was formerly part of a much larger kingdom._
   - _Sailors formerly relied on the stars to navigate open water._

## Origin

Formed from "former" combined with the adverb-forming suffix "-ly".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/formerly (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).