Hitherto,

Use the adverb hitherto when you're describing a state or circumstance that existed up until now. If you find a hithertoundiscovered hidden tunnel in your cellar, you're the first to discover it.

When some particular situation has existed so far, up until the moment that you're speaking of, you can use the word hithertoto talk about it. You could say that you're taking a hot air balloon ride that you were hitherto too scared to contemplate, or that a very shy girl in your philosophy class who was hitherto totally silent finally spoke up today and asked a very intelligent question.

DEFINITIONS OF:hitherto

1

advused in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time

Synonyms:

as yet, heretofore, so far, thus far, til now, until now, up to now, yet

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WORD FAMILY

hitherto

the "hitherto" family

USAGE EXAMPLES

• Hitherto mainly used by the military, the potential of drones is now being explored by everyone from real estate agents to farmers or delivery services.
  BBC Dec 30, 2013
• Hitherto, the Galapagos Islands have avoided a similar fate.
  BBC Jan 1, 2014
• Hitherto mainly used by the military, the potential of drones is now being explored by everyone from real estate agents to farmers or web retailers.
  BBC Dec 30, 2013
• Noble gas molecules have not hitherto been detected in space.
  Science Magazine Dec 12, 2013

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