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earlier

/ˈɝliɚ/adjective, adverb3 syllables

Earlier means: at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time.

Synonyms for earlier46

adjective, as in at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

early, aboriginal, primal, primeval, primaeval, primordial, advance, beforehand, archean, archaean, archeozoic, archaeozoic, azoic, earliest
and 9 more, earlyish, premature, untimely, previous, proterozoic, proto, wee, first, 1st

adjective, as in being or occurring at an early stage of development

early, archaic, primitive, new, young, crude, rude, embryonic, embryotic, incipient, inchoate, precocious

adjective, as in belonging to the distant past

early, former, other, past

adjective, as in very young

early, young, immature

adjective, as in (comparative and superlative of ‘early’) more early than; most early

earliest, early

adjective, as in of an early stage in the development of a language or literature

early, Old

adjective, as in expected in the near future

early, future

adverb, as in before now

in the first place, in the beginning, to begin with, originally

adverb, as in earlier in time; previously

before

adverb, as in comparatives of ‘soon’ or ‘early’

sooner

Opposites of earlier

middle, late

What does earlier mean?10

adjective

1

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time“early morning”

2

being or occurring at an early stage of development“in an early stage”

3

belonging to the distant past“the early inhabitants of Europe”

4

very young“at an early age”

5

(comparative and superlative of ‘early’) more early than; most early“a fashion popular in earlier times”

6

of an early stage in the development of a language or literature“the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C.”

7

expected in the near future“look for an early end to the negotiations”

adverb

1

before now“why didn't you tell me in the first place?”

2

earlier in time; previously“I had known her before”

3

comparatives of ‘soon’ or ‘early’“Come a little sooner, if you can”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Earlier in a sentence

  • Thanks to his advice, we could finish it earlier than we had expected.CM
  • Tired from the hard work, he went to bed earlier than usual.CS
  • If you had left earlier, you would have caught the train.CC
  • Exhausted from a day's work, he went to bed much earlier than usual.CM
  • Since he was tired, he turned in earlier than usual.CM
  • If you had come only two minutes earlier, you could have caught the bus.CK
  • It will get dark earlier this evening, as it is raining.keegi
  • Since they were tired, they turned in earlier than usual.CM

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.