#1 earlier r. [before] earlier in time; previously; "I had known her before"; "as I said before"; "he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier"; "her parents had died four years earlier"; "I mentioned that problem earlier". wn
#2 earlier r. [sooner] comparatives of 'soon' or 'early'; "Come a little sooner, if you can"; "came earlier than I expected". wn
#3 earlier r. [in the first place, in the beginning, to begin with, originally] before now; "why didn't you tell me in the first place?". wn
#4 earlier s. [earliest] (comparative and superlative of 'early') more early than; most early; "a fashion popular in earlier times"; "his earlier work reflects the influence of his teacher"; "Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera". wn
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