| 释义 |
former
form·er 1 F0265100 (fôr′mər)n.1. One that forms; a maker or creator: a former of ideas.2. A member of a school form: a fifth former.
for·mer 2 F0265100 (fôr′mər)adj.1. Relating to or taking place in the past: in former times.2. Having been so in the past: a former ambassador; his former boss.3. Being the first of two mentioned.n. The first of two persons or things mentioned: "The army was pulling itself together, the government was coming apart. The success of the former was continually imperiled by the failure of the latter" (Garry Wills).
[Middle English, comparative of forme, first, from Old English forma; see per in Indo-European roots.]former (ˈfɔːmə) adj (prenominal) 1. belonging to or occurring in an earlier time: former glory. 2. having been at a previous time: a former colleague. 3. denoting the first or first mentioned of two: in the former case. 4. near the beginningnthe former the first or first mentioned of two: distinguished from latter
former (ˈfɔːmə) n1. a person or thing that forms or shapes2. (Electrical Engineering) electrical engineering a tool for giving a coil or winding the required shape, sometimes consisting of a frame on which the wire can be wound, the frame then being removedfor•mer1 (ˈfɔr mər)
adj. 1. preceding in time; prior or earlier: on a former occasion. 2. past, long past, or ancient: in former times. 3. being the first mentioned of two (disting. from latter). 4. having once or previously been; erstwhile: a former president. [1125–75; Middle English] form•er2 (ˈfɔr mər)
n. 1. a person or thing that forms or serves to form. 2. a pupil in a particular form or class. [1300–50] former late">late1. 'former'You use former in front of a noun to indicate that the person you are talking about is no longer the thing referred to by the noun. For example, the former chairman of a company used to be the chairman, but is not the chairman now. ...former President Gerald Ford....William Nickerson, a former Treasury official.2. 'late'You use late in front of a name or noun to indicate that the person you are talking about has recently died. ...the late Mr Parkin.I'd like to talk to you about your late husband.
latter formerThe latter should only be used to refer to the second of two things or people which have already been mentioned. Given the choice between working for someone else and working for the family business, she'd prefer the latter.You use the former to talk about the first of two things already mentioned. These two firms are in direct competition, with the former trying to cut costs and increase profits.If you are talking about three or more things or people, don't use 'the latter' or 'the former'. Use an expression with the last or the first. The company has three branches, in Birmingham, Plymouth, and Greenock. The last of these will close next year.If you are mentioning things for the first time, don't use 'the former' or 'the latter'. Use the first or the second. There will be two matches next week. The first will be in Brighton, and the second in London.Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  former - the first of two or the first mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"first, number one - the first or highest in an ordering or series; "He wanted to be the first"latter - the second of two or the second mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the latter is remembered today" | | Adj. | 1. | former - referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several); "the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one"latter - referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several); "in the latter case" | | 2. | former - belonging to some prior time; "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover"onetime, one-time, quondam, sometime, erstwhile, oldpast - earlier than the present time; no longer current; "time past"; "his youth is past"; "this past Thursday"; "the past year" | | 3. | former - (used especially of persons) of the immediate past; "the former president"; "our late President is still very active"; "the previous occupant of the White House"previous, latepast - earlier than the present time; no longer current; "time past"; "his youth is past"; "this past Thursday"; "the past year" | | 4. | former - belonging to the distant past; "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"early, otherpast - earlier than the present time; no longer current; "time past"; "his youth is past"; "this past Thursday"; "the past year" |
formeradjective1. previous, one-time, erstwhile, ex-, late, earlier, prior, sometime, foregoing, antecedent, anterior, quondam, whilom (archaic), ci-devant (French) He pleaded not guilty to murdering his former wife.
previous coming, following, future, current, succeeding, latter, subsequent, ensuing2. past, earlier, long ago, bygone, old, ancient, departed, old-time, long gone, of yore Remember him as he was in former years.
past future, present, current, modern, present-day3. aforementioned, above, first mentioned, aforesaid, preceding, foregoing Most people can be forgiven for choosing the former.formeradjective1. Just gone by or elapsed:antecedent, anterior, earlier, foregoing, past, precedent, preceding, previous, prior.2. Having been such previously:erstwhile, late, old, once, onetime, past, previous, quondam, sometime, whilom.Translationsformer (ˈfoːmə) adjective of an earlier time. In former times people did not travel so much. 從前的 从前的ˈformerly adverb in earlier times. Formerly this large town was a small village. 從前 从前the former the first of two things mentioned. We visited America and Australia, staying longer in the former than in the latter. 前者 前者former
a shadow of (one's) former selfSomeone or something that has changed dramatically to become decreased in vivacity in some way, often following negative circumstances or some traumatic event. Ever since Tim was in that accident, he's been a shadow of his former self. She's so quiet now, like a shadow of her former self. Does anyone know what happened to the bubbly girl we once knew? Many of the town's residents moved away, leaving it a shadow of its former self.See also: former, of, shadowbe a shadow of (someone or something's) former selfTo be weaker or inferior in comparison to how someone or something was previously, often due to negative circumstances. After suffering from a prolonged illness, Sharon was a shadow of her former self. This town is a shadow of its former self after so many of its residents have moved away.See also: former, of, shadowbe a ghost of (someone or something's) former selfTo be weaker or inferior in comparison to how someone or something was previously, often due to negative circumstances. After suffering from a prolonged illness, Sharon was a ghost of her former self. This town is a ghost of its former self after so many of its residents have moved away.See also: former, ghost, of*shadow of oneself and *a shadow of itself; *a shadow of one's former selfFig. someone or something that is not as strong, healthy, full, or lively as before. (*Typically: be ~; become ~.) The sick man was a shadow of his former self. The abandoned mansion was merely a shadow of its old self.See also: of, shadowshadow of one's selfAlso, shadow of one's former or old self . A person, group, or thing that has become weaker in physical or mental capacities or in power or authority. For example, After that long battle with the flu, he was just a shadow of his old self, or This new administration is but a shadow of itself, or The revised constitution is a shadow of its former self. The use of shadow for an emaciated person dates from the late 1500s, and by about 1800 the word began to be used for other kinds of attenuation. See also: of, shadowa shadow of your former self FORMALCOMMON1. If someone or something is a shadow of their former self, they are very much less powerful or impressive than they used to be. Our ninety-year-old dad was but a shadow of his former self. But the side which played such thrilling football last season now looks a shadow of its former self.2. If someone is a shadow of their former self, they are very much thinner than they used to be. I couldn't believe how much weight she'd lost — she's a shadow of her former self.See also: former, of, shadowbe a shadow/ghost of your/its former ˈself not have the strength, influence, etc. that you/something used to have: He’d been ill for some time, and he looked a shadow of his former self. ♢ The old house, which had once been so full of life, was now just a ghost of its former self.See also: former, ghost, of, shadowshadow of one's (former/old) self, aReduced or diminished, in vigor or size by age, illness, or fatigue, or in wealth or power. This term was a hyperbole for being emaciated as long ago as the sixteenth century. Later it was used for other kinds of reduced circumstances, as by Sir Walter Scott in Guy Mannering (1815): “He appeared to wither into the shadow of himself.”See also: of, shadowformer
former Electrical engineering a tool for giving a coil or winding the required shape, sometimes consisting of a frame on which the wire can be wound, the frame then being removed former Transverse members used to give a required shape to a fabric-covered fuselage or body on which the stringers rest and to support the skin of a monocoque structure. Formers dividing a fuselage into compartments are called bulkheads.former
formerA pattern, usually made of plastic, used to guide the automatic machines which cut and edge lenses. Syn. lens pattern. See edging.AcronymsSeeFMRformer
Synonyms for formeradj previousSynonyms- previous
- one-time
- erstwhile
- ex-
- late
- earlier
- prior
- sometime
- foregoing
- antecedent
- anterior
- quondam
- whilom
- ci-devant
Antonyms- coming
- following
- future
- current
- succeeding
- latter
- subsequent
- ensuing
adj pastSynonyms- past
- earlier
- long ago
- bygone
- old
- ancient
- departed
- old-time
- long gone
- of yore
Antonyms- future
- present
- current
- modern
- present-day
adj aforementionedSynonyms- aforementioned
- above
- first mentioned
- aforesaid
- preceding
- foregoing
Synonyms for formeradj just gone by or elapsedSynonyms- antecedent
- anterior
- earlier
- foregoing
- past
- precedent
- preceding
- previous
- prior
adj having been such previouslySynonyms- erstwhile
- late
- old
- once
- onetime
- past
- previous
- quondam
- sometime
- whilom
Synonyms for formernoun the first of two or the first mentioned of twoRelated WordsAntonymsadj referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)Antonymsadj belonging to some prior timeSynonyms- onetime
- one-time
- quondam
- sometime
- erstwhile
- old
Related Wordsadj (used especially of persons) of the immediate pastSynonymsRelated Wordsadj belonging to the distant pastSynonymsRelated Words |