until a few decades ago

USAGE SUMMARY

"until a few decades ago" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It can be used to indicate a specific period of time in the past, typically within the last 20-30 years. Example: Until a few decades ago, smoking was allowed in restaurants and public buildings in most countries.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

54 human-written examples

Until a few decades ago, employment discrimination perversely strengthened our teaching force.

The New York Times

Mercury and Venus have no moons, so their exact masses were not known until a few decades ago.

Cornell University

Up until a few decades ago, it was taboo to question the results of particular surgeons or physicians.

Independent

Until a few decades ago, Patagonian toothfish was a trash fish not worth trying to give away.

The Economist

This was the entire city until a few decades ago, its high walls locked every evening at dusk.

The New York Times - Magazine

Until a few decades ago there was no tradition of writing in Romany, but a rich oral tradition existed.

Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

6 human-written examples

The least accurate results were obtained with much smaller language corpus a few decades ago [40 42].

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

Until only a few decades ago, there was little interest in research about children as consumers.

Food Quality and Preference

Sukhumvit itself was an unpaved elephant path until only a few decades ago.

The Guardian - Travel

Until just a few decades ago, our knowledge of planetary systems was limited to our own Earth and the neighboring planets of our solar system.

Columbia University

From the founding of the country's first (all-male) colleges in the 17th century until just a few decades ago, men received far more education than women.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "until a few decades ago" to highlight changes or conditions that existed approximately 20-30 years prior to the present time. This helps establish a sense of recent history without being overly precise.

Common error

Avoid using "until a few decades ago" when referring to events that occurred much earlier than 20-30 years ago. This phrase implies a relatively recent shift, and using it for older events can mislead your audience.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "until a few decades ago" functions as an adverbial phrase indicating a timeframe in the recent past. It modifies a verb or clause, specifying when a certain condition or situation was valid. Ludwig examples illustrate this by showing past practices and technologies no longer in use.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

51%

Academia

21%

Science

21%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Formal & Business

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "until a few decades ago" is a versatile adverbial phrase used to situate events or conditions in the recent past. According to Ludwig, this phrase is grammatically sound and commonly used across various contexts, including News & Media, Academia and Science. Its primary function is to provide temporal context, highlighting changes or shifts that have occurred within approximately the last 20-30 years. While it's suitable for both formal and informal writing, it's essential to avoid using it for events that predate this timeframe, and its accuracy is best maintained through its original format.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in the last few decades

Emphasizes the recency of the period, similar to the original phrase.

in recent decades

Focuses on the span of multiple decades, highlighting a more extended timeframe.

within the past thirty years

Provides a more precise timeframe than the original phrase.

in the preceding decades

Implies a slightly more formal tone, referring to decades leading up to a specific point.

not long ago

A more general term for the recent past, lacking the specific timeframe.

in the relatively recent past

Highlights that the period is recent when considered in a historical scope.

in earlier decades

Highlights an era prior to current times without specifying a precise quantity of time.

in those decades

Emphasizes a specific set of decades that are implied by context.

in the immediately preceding years

Refers to the years directly before a particular event or period.

in recent memory

Relates the timeframe to what people can easily recall.

FAQs

How can I use "until a few decades ago" in a sentence?

Use "until a few decades ago" to indicate that a certain condition, practice, or technology was common or prevalent in the recent past, but is no longer the case. For example: "Until a few decades ago, smoking was permitted in most public places."

What's a more specific alternative to "until a few decades ago"?

For more precision, you could specify the actual decades you're referring to (e.g. "in the 1980s and 1990s") or use a range of years (e.g. "between 1990 and 2010"). If you can't be that accurate, alternatives like "in recent decades" or "in the last few decades" may be appropriate.

Is "until a few decades ago" formal or informal?

"Until a few decades ago" is appropriate for both formal and informal writing. The key is to ensure that it fits the tone and context of your message. A formal register can be better achieved by using similar alternatives, such as "in the preceding decades".

Which is correct, "until a few decades ago" or "since a few decades ago"?

"Until a few decades ago" refers to a state that existed up to a certain point in the recent past, but may have changed since. "Since a few decades ago" describes something that has been happening from a point in the recent past until now. They have opposite meanings, so you should be careful to pick the correct preposition depending on the context.