Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of past

16 similar words · 3 opposite words

Another word for past is by. Other synonyms of past are historic, bygone, historical, preterite and preceding. The opposite of past is to.

Synonyms and similar words for past

nounThe period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.

  • foretimeA time previous to the present, or to a time alluded to or implied; former time or times.

adjectiveHaving already happened; in the past; finished.

  • bygoneHaving been or happened in the distant past.

adjectiveOf a period of time: having just gone by; previous.

adverbIn a direction that passes.

  • byAlong a path which runs past someone or something.

nounMore synonyms

  • yestertideA time period previous to the present; the past.

adjectiveMore synonyms

  • precedingOccurring before or in front of something else, in time, place, rank or sequence.
  • used-to-beFormer, ex-.
  • forepassedThat has previously passed; past, bygone.
  • historicSynonym of historical: of, concerning, or in accordance with recorded history or the past generally (See usage notes.).
  • historicalFormer, erstwhile; (religious, obsolete) lapsed, nominal.
  • long agoExisting in the relatively distant past.
  • olden
  • preteriteShowing an action at a determined moment in the past.
  • backward obsoleteAlready past or gone; bygone.
  • forepast obsoleteThat has passed; bygone.
  • hoary obsoleteRemote in time past.

Opposite of past

prepositionAny number of minutes after the last hour.

  • toPreceding (the stated hour).

adjectiveMore antonyms

Meaning of past

  1. noun The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.
  2. noun The past tense.
  3. adjective Having already happened; in the past; finished.

Full definition of past

past in other languages

Questions about synonyms of past

What is another word for past?
Past has 16 synonyms on Word.ws, such as by, historic, bygone, historical, preterite and preceding.
What is the opposite of past?
The opposite of past is to.
What does past mean?
Past means the period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: past (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of past.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/past. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.