 earlier |
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| 1. | [ adjective ] occurring earlier in time | |
| Examples: | "on earlier occasions" |
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| Related terms: | past | |
| 2. | [ adverb ] earlier in time; previously | |
| Synonyms: | before | |
| Examples: | "I had known her before" "as I said before" "he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier" "her parents had died four years earlier" "I mentioned that problem earlier" |
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| 3. | [ adverb ] comparatives of `soon' or `early' | |
| Synonyms: | sooner | |
| Examples: | "Come a little sooner, if you can" "came earlier than I expected" |
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| 4. | [ adverb ] before now | |
| Synonyms: | in_the_first_place to_begin_with in_the_beginning originally | |
| Examples: | "why didn't you tell me in the first place?" |
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| 5. | [ adjective ] (comparative and superlative of `early') more early than; most early | |
| Synonyms: | earliest | |
| Examples: | "a fashion popular in earlier times" "his earlier work reflects the influence of his teacher" "Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera" |
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| Related terms: | comparative early | |
