then
- 01 A1 Beginner
adv.at a specific time in the past or future.
adv.at that specific point in time, whether past or future.
Simple“I was living in London then, so I saw the parade in person.”
In context“Life was significantly slower then, before the advent of high-speed internet changed our expectations of immediate communication.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 A1 Beginner
adv.after that; next in a sequence of events.
adv.subsequently; used to indicate the next event in a chronological or spatial sequence.
Simple“We went to the park and then we had some ice cream.”
In context“The researchers gathered the raw data and then spent several months performing a rigorous statistical analysis.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 A2 Elementary
adv.used to show what happens because of something else.
adv.used to introduce a logical consequence or the next step in an argument.
Simple“If you don't like the food, then you shouldn't eat it.”
In context“If the initial hypothesis is proven false, then the entire framework of the experiment must be re-evaluated.”
Synonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
adv.used to add another piece of information to what you just said.
adv.used to introduce an additional fact or point in an argument.
Simple“It's a very expensive car, and then there is the cost of insurance.”
In context“The project is already behind schedule, and then there is the issue of the dwindling budget to consider.”
Synonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.used to describe someone who had a certain job or role at a specific time in the past.
adj.functioning as an attributive adjective to indicate a status or role held at the time mentioned.
Simple“The then-president signed the new law during a special ceremony.”
In context“The decision was heavily criticised by the then-governor, who argued that the state could not afford such an ambitious infrastructure project.”
UsageUsually placed immediately before the noun it modifies, often with a hyphen.
- 06 B1 Intermediate
n.that particular time in the past.
n.a specific point in time previously mentioned, functioning as the object of a preposition.
Simple“I haven't seen him since then, but I hope he is doing well.”
In context“By then, the sun had already set, leaving the valley in a deep, purple shadow.”
UsageAlmost always follows a preposition like 'since', 'by', or 'until'.
Synonymsthat timeAntonyms
then vs than — Then indicates a point in time or a sequence of events, while than introduces the second part of a comparison.
From Middle English then(ne), than(ne), from Old English þonne, þanne, þænne (“then, at that time”), from Proto-West Germanic þan, from Proto-Germanic þan (“at that (time), then”), from earlier þam, from Proto-Indo-European tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“demonstrative pronoun, that”). Cognate with Dutch dan (“then”), German dann (“then”), Swedish då (“then”), Icelandic þá (“then”). Doublet of than.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.