furthermore
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
in addition to what has been said. You use it to add a new point that makes your argument stronger.
in addition to what has been stated; used to introduce a further factor or a reinforcing argument.
Simple“The house is too expensive; furthermore, it is located too far from the city.”
In context“The proposed legislation is likely to be ineffective; furthermore, it may inadvertently infringe upon established civil liberties.”
UsageTypically placed at the beginning of a sentence or clause to transition between related ideas.
Teacher's tipThis is a high-register transition word. Advise students to use it in essays or formal reports rather than in casual conversation.
PitfallThe car is fast, furthermore it is cheap. The car is fast; furthermore, it is cheap.Furthermore is a conjunctive adverb, not a conjunction. It needs a semicolon or a full stop before it, and usually a comma after it.
Synonyms
“Furthermore, many of my former colleagues who served in exactly the same department and performed the same duties have already been relocated to the UK through the Arap scheme.”
“Furthermore, low-level racism is common in the university setting, in which there is a “chumocratic” culture that promotes similar or like-minded individuals.”
From Middle English furthermore, forthermore, forthermar (also as forther mo), equivalent to further + -more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.