erstwhile

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The erstwhile interim U.S. attorney, then, is in a pickle of his own making.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

By the early aughts, erstwhile edgy rock stars like Courtney Love and Nina Gordon swapped their torn fishnets and rumpled slip dresses for French manicures and blown-out coifs.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

He suggests that if the tech sector does start to meaningfully falter this may deliver a psychological shift among investors whereby the erstwhile winners are given the losers tag.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 2, 2026

Time was when a literary score-settling by erstwhile lovers like Philip Roth and Claire Bloom took months or years to play out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

Would Mr. Justice Dana be so good as to glance at this indenture—which the boy’s erstwhile master, Mr. Lapham, had been so kind as to lend him?

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes