In former decades

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "In former decades" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to time periods that occurred in the past, specifically several decades ago. Example: "In former decades, people relied more on print media for news and information."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Thus, newborns disproportionately likely to develop autism, who would in former decades have died, are now more and more often being saved, able to go on to manifest autism later.

The New York Times

This study aims to examine whether or not healthy and unhealthy lifestyle choices of patients are currently being discussed more often in primary care consultations than in former decades.

BMC Family Practice

The lack of a mutually significantly elevated risk of SPC between the urinary tract and bladder in men with regard to our own results may possibly be explained by the fact that in former decades, the misuse of phenacetin-containing analgesics (Table 3), a known risk factor for urinary cancer, was more common in European women than in men [ 27].

BMC Cancer

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

In contrast to former decades, we registered 13 new AE cases during 2011.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

This rate has increased 1.3 times compared to that observed in the former decade, and an upward trend continues to be maintained.

Cardiovascular Diabetology

Unlike in previous decades in the former Soviet Union, when police in the region use excessive force these days, there's usually a day of reckoning.

Huffington Post

Despite the greatly improved survival of children with WT, patients that do relapse respond much worse to subsequent therapy and increasingly later onset malignancies are found in former WT patients decades after treatment, likely to be secondary effects of the original therapy.

EMBO Molecular Medicine

On March 27, The New York Times published an article that said Albanian documents showed that the Miami company had bought more than 100 million Chinese cartridges that were stored for decades in former cold war stockpiles.

The New York Times

An examination by The New York Times earlier this year uncovered documents from Albania that showed that AEY bought more than 100 million Chinese cartridges that had been stored for decades in former cold war stockpiles.

The New York Times

In the next decades, an increasing proportion of lung cancer cases will arise in former or never smokers.

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

It's like a surreal parody of what happened in the former Soviet Union, with decades of socialism ending in the overnight transition to a full market economy.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "in former decades" to highlight a contrast between past practices or conditions and the present, especially when discussing societal or technological changes.

Common error

Avoid using "in former decades" when referring to very recent periods. It implies a more distant past than just the last few years. Be specific if precision is needed.

Linguistic Context

"In former decades" functions as a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb or noun, indicating a specific timeframe in the past. As Ludwig confirms, it's a valid phrase used to set a temporal context.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "in former decades" is a grammatically sound way to reference a period in the past, specifically several decades ago. As Ludwig confirms, it serves primarily to establish a temporal context, often for comparisons between past and present conditions. While the phrase maintains a neutral to formal tone suitable for news and scientific writing, its usage frequency is relatively low. For alternative phrasing, consider "in past decades" or "in earlier decades" for similar meanings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

In past decades

Replaces 'former' with 'past', maintaining the general meaning of previous decades.

In earlier decades

Substitutes 'former' with 'earlier', emphasizing the temporal aspect of the preceding decades.

In previous decades

Uses 'previous' instead of 'former', offering a near-identical meaning with a slight difference in tone.

In prior decades

Replaces 'former' with 'prior', indicating a time before the present decades.

In the past

Generalizes the timeframe to 'the past', losing the specific 'decades' reference.

Years ago

Simplifies the phrase to a more informal and less precise reference to the past.

In those days

Refers to a less defined period in the past, implying a significant difference from the present.

Back then

Offers an even less formal and less specific reference to a time in the past.

Once upon a time

Evokes a sense of storytelling and a distant past, suitable for narrative contexts.

In days gone by

Adds a touch of nostalgia, referring to a past time that is notably different from the present.

FAQs

How can I use "in former decades" in a sentence?

You can use "in former decades" to describe past trends, practices, or societal norms that have changed over time. For example: "In former decades, smoking was much more prevalent in public places than it is today."

What is a good alternative to "in former decades"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "in past decades", "in earlier decades", or "in previous decades". Each emphasizes a slightly different aspect of the past.

Is "in former decades" formal or informal?

"In former decades" leans towards a neutral to slightly formal register. It's suitable for academic writing, news articles, and professional contexts where a clear, objective tone is preferred.

How far back in time does "in former decades" typically refer to?

"In former decades" generally refers to periods several decades in the past—usually more than two or three. It implies a significant historical distance and is less appropriate for describing very recent times.