thereafter

thereafter — adverb

1. at a later time than a moment or event that has just been referred to — used in

1.adverbB2
Definition

at a later time than a moment or event that has just been referred to — used in formal or official writing to link an earlier situation to what followed it.

Example

Kian graduated in 2020 and worked as a lab assistant for two years thereafter.

[clause], and [clause] thereafter — linking two events in sequence

The company closed its factory in 2018, and sales fell sharply thereafter.

adverb of time following a specific event (factory closure)

Common collocations
  • soon thereafter
  • shortly thereafter
  • immediately thereafter
  • thereafter + clause
Synonyms
  • afterwards

    neutral register; common in both speech and writing, while 'thereafter' is more formal

  • subsequently

    equally formal but emphasises logical consequence rather than just time order

  • later

    simpler and less specific; can refer to any time after the present or a past point

  • then

    the most common and neutral connector; suitable for all registers

Antonyms
  • beforehand

    means 'before that time' rather than after

  • previously

    refers to a time earlier than the point being discussed

Grammar Patterns

[clause], and [clause] thereafter

[clause]; thereafter [clause]

[time phrase] thereafter

Usage Note

Frequently occurs with time modifiers such as 'soon', 'shortly', 'immediately', or a specific time span ('two years', 'six months'). Unlike 'afterwards', which is neutral in register, 'thereafter' carries a formal or legal tone and is rare in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

We ate dinner and thereafter watched a movie.
We ate dinner and then watched a movie.
'thereafter' is too formal for casual daily situations; use 'then' or 'afterwards' instead.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words indicate a point in time after a reference event, but they differ in formality and focus. 'Then' is the most neutral and widely used across speech and writing; it simply marks the next step in a sequence. 'Afterwards' is also neutral but tends to sound slightly more natural when the time gap is short. 'Subsequently' shares the formal register of 'thereafter' but emphasises logical succession — one thing follows another as a result, not just in time. 'Later' is the most flexible and can refer to any time gap. 'Thereafter' is the most restricted: it is near-exclusive to formal, legal, or academic writing and is rarely used in conversation. For example: 'The treaty was signed in 1945; thereafter, trade between the two nations grew steadily.' Here, 'thereafter' fits the formal context perfectly, while 'then' would feel too plain.

afterwards ↗subsequently ↗later ↗then ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • years
  • months
  • days
  • weeks

Adverbs

Phrases

  • soon thereafter
  • shortly thereafter
  • immediately thereafter
  • not long thereafter

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in Old English from 'þǣr' (there) + 'æfter' (after), literally 'there-after.' The compound has remained in the language ever since, though its use became increasingly restricted to formal writing from the 19th century onward.