Earlier (Adverb)
Meaning 1
Comparatives of `soon' or `early'; "Come a little sooner, if you can"; "came earlier than I expected".
Examples
- Come a little earlier if you can, we're almost ready to leave.
- She arrived earlier than I expected, so we had some extra time to chat.
- The train arrived earlier than scheduled, which was a nice surprise.
- I'm going to bed earlier tonight because I have an early meeting tomorrow.
- They decided to start the project earlier than planned due to the favorable weather conditions.
Synonyms
Meaning 2
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
Meaning 3
Before now; "why didn't you tell me in the first place?".
Examples
- You should have told me about the meeting earlier, I would have made time for it.
- Why didn't you tell me earlier that you were planning a surprise party for my birthday?
- I wish you had mentioned your concerns earlier, we could have avoided this whole situation.
- It would have been helpful if you had informed me earlier about the change in plans.
- You should have let me know earlier that you wouldn't be able to make it to the concert.