erstwhile
erstwhile — 形容詞
- erstwhilepositive
- erstwhilercomparative
- erstwhilestsuperlative
1. used to describe someone or something that had a particular role, position, or q
昔日；先前
曾經擔任某角色或身分，但現已不再
used to describe someone or something that had a particular role, position, or quality in the past but no longer has it
Sana's erstwhile colleague now runs the company's Tokyo office.
Sana 昔日的同事如今掌管公司在東京的辦公室。
collocation: erstwhile colleague / erstwhile friend
Mathieu bought the erstwhile factory and turned it into a bright community arts centre.
Mathieu 買下了昔日的工廠，將其改建為明亮的社區藝術中心。
Hassan greeted his erstwhile rival with a warm, genuine handshake.
Hassan 用溫暖真誠的握手問候了他昔日的對手。
Nala visited the museum that stands on the grounds of an erstwhile royal palace.
Nala 參觀了那座座落於昔日皇宮舊址上的博物館。
Ilan's erstwhile confidence in the camping trip faded after the first tent fell down.
Ilan 昔日對露營之旅的信心在第一頂帳篷倒下後就消失了。
- former
neutral in tone; the default everyday choice for describing a past role or status
- previous
emphasises position in a sequence; best for jobs, occasions, or items in a series
- one-time
slightly informal; stresses that the person or thing held the role only once or briefly
- ex-
colloquial prefix attached directly to roles (ex-boss, ex-wife); lacks the literary feel of erstwhile
文法句型
erstwhile + noun
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'He was erstwhile'; you must say 'He was my erstwhile colleague.' Carries a literary or nostalgic tone that 'former' and 'previous' lack.
常見錯誤
erstwhile — 副詞
1. during an earlier period; at a time before the present
從前；昔日
在過去的某個時間點
during an earlier period; at a time before the present
Erstwhile, the harbour was a busy trading port; now Ari runs a tiny café on the quiet pier.
從前，這座港口曾是繁忙的貿易港；如今 Ari 在安靜的碼頭上經營一間小咖啡館。
sentence adverb: Erstwhile, + full clause
Ziad's office occupies a stone building that was erstwhile used as a courthouse.
Ziad 的辦公室位於一棟從前曾被用作法院的石造建築中。
Andrés managed a team that had erstwhile been led by his own father.
Andrés 管理的團隊昔日由他自己的父親帶領。
The garden, erstwhile choked with weeds, now bloomed with roses and lavender.
這座花園從前雜草叢生，如今開滿了玫瑰與薰衣草。
Eve found a bundle of letters from a cousin who had erstwhile lived in Vienna.
Eve 找到了一疊來自一位從前住在維也納的表親的信件。
- formerly
the standard neutral alternative; appropriate in both speech and writing
- previously
stresses the sequence of events; often used with past perfect ('had previously been')
- once
more concise and slightly more conversational than 'erstwhile'
- heretofore
extremely formal, mostly confined to legal or archaic writing; even rarer than 'erstwhile'
文法句型
Erstwhile, + clause
be/have + erstwhile + past participle
用法筆記
Almost exclusively found in literary, historical, or formal writing. In modern speech, 'formerly' or 'once' are the natural alternatives. Typically appears before the main verb or at the start of a clause to set a contrast with the present.