earlier

11 synonyms and 4 antonyms for earlier, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adverb — At a time before the present moment or before the time being talked about.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

before previously already originally sooner previous prior former

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

beforehand preceding

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

earliest

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adverb

At a time before the present moment or before the time being talked about.

“I saw her earlier, outside the station.”

before previously beforehand already originally sooner

Opposites

later afterwards

2. adjective

Coming before another in time or order; comparative of early.

“An earlier version of the report had different figures.”

previous prior preceding former earliest

Opposites

later subsequent following

How to use earlier

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

earlier today earlier this week as mentioned earlier earlier than expected an earlier version

Etymology

Comparative of 'early', from Old English 'ærlice', from 'ær' (soon, before).

Full origin of earlier →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 'earlier' and 'sooner'?

'Earlier' compares points in time: the meeting is earlier than yesterday's. 'Sooner' measures the gap from now, so 'come sooner' means with less delay. 'The sooner the better' cannot be replaced by 'earlier'.

Should I write 'earlier today' or 'today earlier'?

'Earlier today' is the natural order and the only one used in normal English. The same pattern gives 'earlier this week' and 'earlier this year'.

People also searched

before already following later former previous previously prior originally subsequent afterwards Sooner

Nearby words

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