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Official vs Former - What's the difference?

official | former |

As adjectives the difference between official and former

is that official is of or pertaining to an office or public trust while former is previous.

As nouns the difference between official and former

is that official is an office holder invested with powers and authorities while former is someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.

official

English

(wikipedia official)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to an office or public trust.
    • official duties
  • Derived from the proper office or officer, or from the proper authority; made or communicated by virtue of authority
    • an official statement or report
  • Approved by authority; authorized.
  • sanctioned by the pharmacopoeia; appointed to be used in medicine; officinal
    • an official drug or preparation
  • Discharging an office or function.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • the stomach and other parts official unto nutrition
  • Relating to an office; especially, to a subordinate executive officer or attendant.
  • Relating to an ecclesiastical judge appointed by a bishop, chapter, archdeacon, etc., with charge of the spiritual jurisdiction.

    • Antonyms

    * unofficial

    Related terms

    * office * officer * officiate * officiality

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An office holder invested with powers and authorities.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-03-15, volume=410, issue=8878, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Turn it off , passage=If the takeover is approved, Comcast would control 20 of the top 25 cable markets, […]. Antitrust officials will need to consider Comcast’s status as a monopsony (a buyer with disproportionate power), when it comes to negotiations with programmers, whose channels it pays to carry.}}
  • A person responsible for applying the rules of a game or sport in a competition.

    • Hyponyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * fourth official

    Statistics

    *

    External links

    * * ----

    former

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) former, comparative of . Parallel to (m) (via Latin), as comparative form from same Proto-Indo-European root. Related to (m) and (m) (thence (m)), from Proto-Germanic.

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Previous.
  • :
  • *
  • *:At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors.In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.
  • (senseid) First of aforementioned two items. Used with the , often without a noun.
  • :
    • Synonyms
    * (previous) anterior, erstwhile, previous, prior, quondam, ex- * See also
    Antonyms
    * latter

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Someone who forms something; a maker; a creator or founder.
    • Dave was the former of the company.
  • An object used to form something, such as a template, gauge, or cutting die.
    • ''The brick arch was built using a wooden former .
  • (chiefly, British, used in combinations) Someone in, or of, a certain form (class).
    • ''Fifth-former
    Sixth-former .
    Derived terms
    * pan former

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * reform ----