"Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"

• referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)

  "the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967"; " I prefer the former version to the latter one"

• belonging to some prior time

  "our former glory"

  同义词： erstwhile(a) old onetime(a) quondam(a) sometime(a)

• (used especially of persons) of the immediate past

  "the former president"

  同义词： late(a) previous(a)

• belonging to the distant past

  "former generations"

  同义词： early(a) other(a)