earlier

adj 1: occurring earlier in time; "on earlier occasions"

2: (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" [syn: {earliest}]

adv 1: 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" [syn: {before}]

2: comparatives of `soon' or `early'; "Come a little sooner, if

you can"; "came earlier than I expected" [syn: {sooner}]

3: before now; "why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

[syn: {in the first place}, {in the beginning}, {to begin

with}, {originally}]