#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