Standard Lemma guide

latter

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • lăt'ə non-rhotic; r
  • /ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/ non-rhotic
  • General-American: /ˈlæt.ɚ/
  • General-American: [ˈlæɾ.ɚ]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: ladder (in accents with flapping)
  • rhymes with -ætə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: L AE1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Relating to or being the second of two items.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The archaic past participle shapen is only used in misshapen, ill-shapen, and well-shapen (the latter two are much less common, though).

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Near (or nearer) to the end.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • the latter part of the century

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

In the past, but close (or closer) to the present time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • In his latter years my dad became very absent-minded.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: later

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the second of two or the second mentioned of two

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the latter is remembered today

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: former

Broader terms: second

History

Etymology

From Middle English latter, lattere, lattre, from Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”). Equivalent to late + -er, thus a doublet of later; also, related to last, whose doublet is latest.

Across languages

Translations

69 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: на второ място (na vtoro mjasto) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Catalan: segon — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Catalan: ponent — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Chinese Mandarin: 後者 /后者 (hòuzhě) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Dutch: laatstgenoemd — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Esperanto: lasta — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Esperanto: ĉi-lasta — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Faroese: seinni — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Finnish: jälkimmäinen — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Finnish: jäljempi — relating to or being the second of two items
  • German: letzterer — relating to or being the second of two items
  • German: zweiter — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Hungarian: utóbbi — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Hungarian: második — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Italian: secondo — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Italian: quest'ultimo — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Japanese: 後者 (kōsha) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Korean: 후자 (huja) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Norn: ettri — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sistnevnt — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sistnemnd — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Occitan: aiceste — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Occitan: este — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Occitan: aqueste — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Persian: دومی (dovvomi) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Polish: drugi (z dwóch) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Portuguese: segundo — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Portuguese: último — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Portuguese: este — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Russian: второ́й (vtorój) — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Spanish: segundo — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Spanish: éste — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Spanish: esto — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Spanish: aqueste — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Spanish: aquesto — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Swedish: sistnämnda — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Swedish: andra — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Swedish: senare — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Vietnamese: sau — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Vietnamese: thứ hai — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Vietnamese: thứ nhì — relating to or being the second of two items
  • Dutch: laatste — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Finnish: jäljempi — near (or nearer) to the end
  • German: letztere — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Hungarian: későbbi — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Hungarian: hátrébb lévő — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Māori: mātāmuri — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Norwegian: sist — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Polish: późniejszy — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Polish: końcowy — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Polish: ostatni — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Russian: после́дний (poslédnij) — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Spanish: último — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Spanish: este último — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Vietnamese: sau cùng — near (or nearer) to the end
  • Bulgarian: неотдавнашен (neotdavnašen) — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Dutch: jongstleden — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Dutch: dichtsbijzijnde — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Finnish: myöhempi — close (or closer) to the present time
  • French: dernier — close (or closer) to the present time
  • German: letzter — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Hungarian: utóbbi — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Hungarian: újabb — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Polish: ostatni — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Russian: после́дний (poslédnij) — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Russian: более поздний (bóleje pózdnij) — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Spanish: último — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Vietnamese: gần đây — close (or closer) to the present time
  • Vietnamese: mới đây — close (or closer) to the present time
Real reading context

latter in complete knowledge articles