QUONDAM Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

quondam

adjective

ˈkwän-dəm

Definition of quondam

as in former

having been such at some previous time a quondam oil baron now living comfortably in retirement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for quondam

Adjective

Advertisement The following day, in a public conversation moderated by renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour, President Nataša Pirc Musar of Slovenia, former Irish President Mary Robinson and I reflected on the choices before humanity.

— Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Following the simultaneous departures of former chiefs Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) at the end of last season, long-time fans might have expected another familiar face to take the helm.

— Max Gao, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of former

Adjective

Below’s detour to Little Pot Rock wraps up quickly with little explanation for the erstwhile hag’s seemingly flesh-and-blood existence on the island, but something spooky’s going on with her for sure.

— Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
The Project’s ranks now include about 80 fishermen manning 15 boats who also support the tagging and research of their erstwhile prey (their work has led to the recent world-first tagging of 10 tiger sharks in Indonesian waters).

— Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of erstwhile

Adjective

The pickup’s driver, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, was taken into custody but was later released after police consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

— Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.

— Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of old

Adjective

Levine did, however, receive a letter signed by over a dozen former Israeli security, intelligence and other officials, including former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, former Mossad director Tamir Pardo and former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Ten other people, ages 5 to 68, were also hit and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Police Capt.

— Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of other

Browse Nearby Words

quods

quondam

quota

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Quondam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quondam. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of quondam

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes