Erstwhile and Earlier

Erstwhile adjective - Having been such at some previous time.

Earlier is a synonym for erstwhile in time topic. In some cases you can use "Earlier" instead the word "Erstwhile" as an adjective or an adverb, when it comes to topics like precede, before, formerly.

Earlier adjective - (comparative and superlative of `early') more early than; most early.

Erstwhile is a synonym for earlier in precede topic. You can use "Erstwhile" instead the word "Earlier" as an adjective or an adverb, if it concerns topics such as before, formerly.