L
LLLOS.ai
Student
L
Word BookShort entry

Erstwhile

adjective/ˈɜːstwaɪl/
Definition
belonging to some prior time
at a previous time
Pronunciation
🇺🇸American English
/ˈɜːstwaɪl/
🇬🇧British English
/ˈɜːstwaɪl/
🇮🇳Indian English
/ˈɜːstwaɪl/
2 syllables Say it as /ˈɜːstwaɪl/.
Examples
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Parts of Speech
adjectivebelonging to some prior time
“erstwhile friend”
adverbat a previous time
“at one time he loved her”
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
einst
zu einer früheren Zeit gehörend
🇫🇷French
autrefois
appartenant à une époque antérieure
🇪🇸Spanish
antes
perteneciente a algún tiempo anterior
🇮🇹Italian
un tempo
appartenenti a qualche tempo precedente
🇳🇱Dutch
vroeger
die tot een vroegere tijd behoren
🇵🇹Portuguese
outrora
pertencente a algum tempo anterior
🇷🇺Russian
когда-то
принадлежащий какому-то предшествующему времени
India
🇮🇳Hindi
भूतपूर्व
किसी पूर्व समय से संबंधित
🇧🇩Bengali
পূর্বে
কিছু আগের সময়ের অন্তর্গত
🇮🇳Tamil
முற்காலத்தில்
முந்தைய காலத்தைச் சேர்ந்தது
🇮🇳Telugu
పూర్వం
కొంత పూర్వ కాలానికి చెందినది
🇮🇳Marathi
पूर्वी
काही पूर्वीच्या काळातील
🇮🇳Gujarati
અગાઉ
કેટલાક અગાઉના સમય સાથે સંબંધિત
🇮🇳Kannada
ಹಿಂದೆ
ಕೆಲವು ಹಿಂದಿನ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿದವರು
🇮🇳Malayalam
പണ്ട്
കുറച്ചു മുമ്പേ ഉള്ളത്
🇮🇳Punjabi
ਪਹਿਲਾਂ
ਕੁਝ ਪੁਰਾਣੇ ਸਮੇਂ ਨਾਲ ਸਬੰਧਤ
🇵🇰Urdu
پہلے
کچھ پہلے سے تعلق رکھتا ہے۔
East & Southeast Asia
🇨🇳Chinese
昔日
属于以前的某个时间
🇯🇵Japanese
ある時点に属する
🇰🇷Korean
예전에는
이전 시간에 속함
🇻🇳Vietnamese
ngày xưa
thuộc về thời gian trước đó
🇹🇭Thai
เมื่อก่อน
เป็นของบางเวลาก่อนหน้านี้
🇮🇩Indonesian
dahulu
milik beberapa waktu sebelumnya
🇵🇭Filipino
dati
kabilang sa ilang naunang panahon
🇲🇾Malay
dulu
kepunyaan suatu masa dahulu
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
سابقا
تنتمي إلى زمن ما قبل ذلك
🇮🇷Persian
در گذشته
متعلق به زمان قبلی
🇹🇷Turkish
eski
daha önceki bir zamana ait
🇮🇱Hebrew
בעבר
שייך לזמן קודם
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'erstwhile'?
The primary meaning of 'erstwhile' is 'belonging to some prior time'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'erstwhile' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'erstwhile' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'erstwhile' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'erstwhile' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'erstwhile' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'erstwhile' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'erstwhile' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'erstwhile' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'erstwhile' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'erstwhile' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)? Open the Advanced entry →