as in former
having been such at some previous time
a quondam oil baron now living comfortably in retirement
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Recent Examples of quondam
By coincidence, the same day that Reichstag burned, Einstein wrote to his quondam mistress, Margarete Lenbach.
—
Thomas Levenson, The Atlantic, 9 June 2017
Thomas Levenson, The Atlantic, 9 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quondam
Adjective
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Under former President Joe Biden, monthly student loan bills resumed in the fall of 2023 after a years-long break.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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For years, the scientific output (patents, publications, commercial innovations) from former Soviet scientists decreased dramatically with a long-lasting negative impact on today’s Russian economy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Earlier this year, there was a small bit of consternation in the Death Grips fan community due to an apparent private comment from erstwhile band member Andy Morin that was leaked publicly.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2025
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Bloomberg/Via Getty Images President Trump's announcements on tariffs have dismayed many of his erstwhile supporters on Wall Street.—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Morales' older brother, Ricardo, confirmed his death in a post on X, formerly Twitter.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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Not content just to confirm its arrival, Veach deftly sliced a slit in the plastic to minimize any potential forensic trail, removed the new game and swapped in the old version before carefully rewrapping it.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The trip to Brentford is little more than a lower mid-table meeting, but United’s other three engagements could have more riding on them.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The president and his administration accuse Harvard, among other universities, of allowing antisemitism to flourish on campus, endangering Jewish students.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quondam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quondam. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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