heretofore
adverb
here·to·fore
ˈhir-tə-ˌfȯr 
ˌhir-tə-ˈfȯr
: up to this time : hitherto
heretofore unimaginable possibilities
I tell you now what we have heretofore kept secret from you—
A. C. Whitehead
A. C. WhiteheadExamples of heretofore in a Sentence
Heretofore her writing has never displayed such depth of feeling.
This technology has created heretofore unimaginable possibilities.
Recent Examples on the Web
For years, CPGs have been paying Amazon to feature ads on their products or to rank higher in searches, but that idea for new cars has heretofore never existed on Amazon’s website.
—Chris Walton, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The season’s many additions include the actors playing Dream’s heretofore unseen siblings Delirium (who will be played by Hanna‘s Esme Creed-Miles), Destiny (Primary Colors‘ Adrian Lester) and The Prodigal (Revenge‘s Barry Sloane).
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 9 Dec. 2024
Fredric Jameson represents something like the lapping at the shoreline, which doesn’t go away and never ceases to turn up interesting things: shells, coins, and specimens of marine life heretofore unseen.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
Everything in his heretofore turbulent life has fallen into place.
—Lisa Henricksson, airmail.news, 11 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heretofore
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Chris Walton, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
The season’s many additions include the actors playing Dream’s heretofore unseen siblings Delirium (who will be played by Hanna‘s Esme Creed-Miles), Destiny (Primary Colors‘ Adrian Lester) and The Prodigal (Revenge‘s Barry Sloane).
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 9 Dec. 2024
Fredric Jameson represents something like the lapping at the shoreline, which doesn’t go away and never ceases to turn up interesting things: shells, coins, and specimens of marine life heretofore unseen.
—Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
Everything in his heretofore turbulent life has fallen into place.
—Lisa Henricksson, airmail.news, 11 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heretofore
Cite this Entry
“Heretofore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heretofore. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heretofore
adverb
here·to·fore
ˈhi(ə)rt-ə-ˌfō(ə)r
-ˌfȯ(ə)r;
ˌhirt-ə-ˈfō(ə)r,
-ˈfȯ(ə)r
: up to this time
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