one-time
/'wʌntaim/
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- belonging to some prior time
- erstwhile friend
- our former glory
- the once capital of the state
- her quondam lover