quondam means former; once; at one time. It carries an Arena rating of 1650, earned across 18 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, quondam ranks #1,114 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,977 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #5,642 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #5,725 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
quondam is pronounced /ˈkwɒndəm/.
Why “quondam” is a great word
Denoting a person or thing that once was, but is no longer, in a particular state or role. From the Latin *quondam* ("formerly, at one time"), borrowed into English in the 16th century. Unlike "previous," which neutrally marks sequence, or "erstwhile," which suggests a formal and clean severance, "quondam" carries a quiet, almost legalistic specificity for a former holder of a title. It is the faint ink of a name crossed off a deed, the dust on a champion's forgotten trophy, the particular hollowness in addressing a deposed king—a word that marks not just a past, but a present shaped by its absence.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin quondam. Compare whilom.
adj
- Former; once; at one time.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.