Definition

Adjective: - Belonging to a prior time; former: Describes something or someone that existed, held a position, or was true in the past but is no longer so.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:
  • He was a one-time champion of the tournament. (He was the champion in the past, but is not the current champion.)
  • The building served as the one-time headquarters of the company. (The building was the company's headquarters at a previous time.)
  • She met her one-time teacher at the reunion. (She met the person who was her teacher in the past.)

Advanced Usage

• "one-time" as an attributive adjective: It is almost always used directly before a noun to modify it, specifying its former status.
  • The one-time actor now works as a director.
• Emphasis on a single, specific past instance: While often synonymous with "former," it can subtly emphasize a specific, often notable, past period or role.
  • He made a one-time appearance on the show. (This emphasizes it happened only once in the past.)

Variants and Related Words

• Former (adj): Having previously been a particular thing. (e.g., ). This is a very close synonym.
• Erstwhile (adj, formal): Former. (e.g., ).
• Quondam (adj, literary): That once was; former. (e.g., ).
• Sometime (adj): Former. (e.g., ).

Synonyms

• Former
• Previous
• Ex- (prefix, e.g., ex-president)
• Late (in some contexts, e.g., the late chairman)

Notes on Meaning

• Temporal Focus: The core meaning is temporal, indicating a state that has ceased. It does not imply a reason for the change.
• Not "Single Occurrence": As an adjective, "one-time" should not be confused with the adjectival phrase meaning "occurring only once" (e.g., a one-time payment). In the defined sense, it is a single word meaning "former."

Adjective

1. belonging to some prior time
   • erstwhile friend
   • our former glory
   • the once capital of the state
   • her quondam lover