How to Use erstwhile in a Sentence

erstwhile

adjective
Definition of erstwhilenext
Synonyms for erstwhilenext
  • Now the erstwhile Fresh Prince is out to prove there's still some sheen to his crown.
    — Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 3 Oct. 2022
  • The 30-minute film about the erstwhile big, ballpark by the river will be shown in the hall of fame’s theater.
    — Jason Williams, The Enquirer, 22 Aug. 2022
  • The same rule applied to any erstwhile nation, from the British West Indies to Zaire.
    — Will Noble, CNN, 27 Oct. 2021
  • The erstwhile second-rater was now high on the lists of great presidents.
    — Frank Gannon, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2022
  • The Sox are stripping fans of one of the last great things about the erstwhile national pastime.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 29 Oct. 2021
  • But for all the debate and side-taking, Brady and his erstwhile usurper have not faced off in an NFL game.
    — Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Dec. 2022
  • This Is Us, though the erstwhile teen pop princess did earn a nomination back in 2019.
    — Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 13 July 2022
  • And, on Wednesday, the erstwhile leader of the Plastics revealed why.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
  • There’s a good chance that that will put paid to our erstwhile spare moon, flinging it out of harm’s way, and out of the Terran family.
    — Duncan Forgan, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Most of his erstwhile partners on the center and left now oppose joining him due to his trial.
    — Shayndi Raice, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2022
  • But the erstwhile chain’s brand is alive and kicking in a new nostalgia play from collectibles maker Funko.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 June 2023
  • Maybe, but Rue's too busy with her suitcase of drugs to concern herself with an erstwhile girlfriend.
    — Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 24 Jan. 2022
  • Cheney's defeat marks a bookend to a meteoric rise and swift fall for an erstwhile GOP star.
    — Bytal Axelrod, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2022
  • 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
  • How could anyone dispute this as an erstwhile call to avoid AI robot weaponization?
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2022
  • As with Irving, his erstwhile teammate in Cleveland, James has mistaken his own bottomless ego for the team and, indeed, the rest of the world.
    — Don Yaeger, Forbes, 5 July 2022
  • Falling for Christmas, her first film in three years, has been framed as the erstwhile beach-club manager’s grand return to acting.
    — Vulture, 21 Dec. 2022
  • One side would incorporate the old barn — thought to date to around 1600 and the erstwhile home of the ice cream factory — and would accommodate two bedrooms.
    — Ellie Pithers, New York Times, 21 July 2023
  • The Issue 1 results also could energize Democrats to boost Brown after being burned by a string of losses in the erstwhile swing state.
    — Isabella Murray, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Gabriel García Márquez-inflected tale of a diva who returns home to Brazil in search of an erstwhile lover in the jungle — isn’t for everyone.
    — The New York Times, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2023
  • The bullpen, buttressed by the off-season signing of erstwhile Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, also seems solid.
    — Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 13 June 2022
  • Finding Ezra means Sabine’s forced to brush shoulders with Ahsoka, who turns out to be the former’s erstwhile Jedi master.
    — Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 23 Aug. 2023
  • In 2016, the cartel forged a partnership with non-members led by erstwhile rival, Russia.
    — Anthony Di Paola, Bloomberg.com, 28 Mar. 2022
  • Yet many of my erstwhile ideological allies have not reached the same conclusions about the folly of regime change.
    — Max Boot, Foreign Affairs, 10 Mar. 2023
  • So naturally, the other erstwhile felons in Aduba's life would want to turn up for the premiere, and the love between them is still strong, as the In Treatment star noted on Twitter.
    — Lester Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Nov. 2021
  • Even so, that revelation about her health isn’t sitting with many people — including erstwhile fans of the scene.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 8 Dec. 2022
  • And with the latest declines even some erstwhile inflation hawks have acknowledged that the outlook is now benign.
    — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2023
  • The administration had hoped that our erstwhile Saudi friends might help out by pumping a little more out.
    — NBC News, 20 Mar. 2022
  • In his place, a more mature version of the franchise’s erstwhile top prospect has materialized.
    — Joe Noga, cleveland, 15 July 2022
  • The former Marvel star brought the same sarcastic charm that enlivened his erstwhile character Tony Stark.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Jan. 2024

Some of 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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