[adverb] 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" Synonyms:before
[adverb] comparatives of `soon' or `early'; "Come a little sooner, if you can"; "came earlier than I expected" Synonyms:sooner
[adjective] (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" Synonyms:earliest
