Robert Plank
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The adverb erstwhile has been part of English since at least the 16th century, but it is formed from two words that are much older. It comes from the Old English words aer, meaning "early," and hwil, which has the same meaning as the modern word while. (The English word ere, meaning "before," is also a descendant of aer.) These days erstwhile is more likely to be encountered as an adjective, as in "erstwhile enemies." That adjective use is a much more recent development, having joined the language about three centuries after the adverb.
Synonyms
Examples of erstwhile in a Sentence
Quartz Africa, 4 Apr. 2020
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Since then, it’s all gotten incredibly messy, starting with J. Cole recording an entire diss track about his erstwhile friend Lamar and then deciding to retract it and apologize — a fairly unprecedented move in hip-hop.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, the high street and all of its designer collaborations – Kate Moss’s beloved line for Topshop and Giles Deacon’s erstwhile New Look offering – was reaching its zenith.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
But the erstwhile allies then differed over plans for a new transition and the integration of the RSF rebel group into the regular army.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
The erstwhile Olympian is tangentially connected to Simpson through her ex-wife Kris Jenner, who was previously married to Robert Kardashian.
—EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
The cease-fire in the Tigray war had barely been agreed to when Abiy began issuing new threats against Eritrea, his erstwhile ally in that war.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024
Television news divisions operate on a similar philosophy, with former party leaders like Ms. McDaniel helping to book their erstwhile colleagues as guests.
—John Koblin, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Raffles repurposed the landmark Old War Office—Churchill's erstwhile HQ—while the Peninsula broke new ground just opposite the Buckingham Palace garden, both brands staking claims in prime London real estate.
—Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'erstwhile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Erstwhile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erstwhile. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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erstwhile
1 of 2 adverb
erstwhile
2 of 2 adjective
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