adverb
- at a time before now or before a specified time
- sooner than expected or usual
adjective
- happening or existing before now or before a specified time
Examples
- I arrived earlier than expected.
- She had mentioned this problem earlier in the meeting.
- The earlier version of the software had fewer features.
- Can we schedule the appointment for earlier in the day?
- His earlier work was more experimental.
- The train left ten minutes earlier than scheduled.
- Earlier generations didn’t have access to the internet.