above-mentioned

IPA/əˌbʌv ˈmenʃnd/
IPA/əˌbʌv ˈmenʃnd/

above-mentioned — adjective

1. describing a person, item, or point that was already named somewhere before in t

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person, item, or point that was already named somewhere before in the same piece of writing

Example

The above-mentioned report contains the findings from last year's safety audit.

attributive use: the above-mentioned + noun

All above-mentioned items must be returned to the front desk before Friday.

Common collocations
  • above-mentioned + report/document/clause/item/person/point
  • the above-mentioned + noun
  • all/said/these above-mentioned + noun
Synonyms
  • aforementioned

    slightly more formal; preferred in legal and academic writing

  • aforesaid

    very formal legal term, almost never used outside contracts and statutes

  • foregoing

    used to refer to text that comes immediately before the current sentence

Antonyms
  • following

    refers to something that will be mentioned later in the text

  • below

    used informally to point ahead in a document ('see below')

Grammar Patterns

the above-mentioned + noun

above-mentioned + noun (with determiner)

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively in formal written English — legal documents, contracts, reports, academic papers, and official correspondence. The word always appears immediately before a noun (attributive position). In less formal writing, 'this', 'that', or 'these' + noun ('this report', 'those items') is preferred, or simply repeating the noun.

Common Mistakes

The above-mentioned is correct.
The above-mentioned point is correct.
'above-mentioned' must be followed by a noun; it cannot stand alone as a noun phrase.
I saw the above-mentioned man at the store yesterday.
The above-mentioned witness arrived at the courthouse at nine.
'above-mentioned' is too formal for everyday speech or informal contexts.
The above mentioned report was lost.
The above-mentioned report was lost.
When used as a compound adjective before a noun, 'above-mentioned' requires a hyphen in standard formal English.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words refer back to something already named in a text, but they differ in register and range. 'Above-mentioned' is the most widely used across formal business and administrative writing. 'Aforementioned' carries a slightly more academic or legal tone and is common in research papers and court documents. 'Aforesaid' is almost entirely limited to legal contracts and statutes, where its archaic formality signals precision. 'Foregoing' points specifically to the immediately preceding sentences or paragraphs, whereas the others can refer to content anywhere earlier in the document. For everyday formal writing, 'above-mentioned' is the safest choice; for a legal document, 'aforementioned' or 'aforesaid' may be expected.

above-mentioned ↗aforementioned ↗aforesaid ↗foregoing ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the above-mentioned + noun
  • all above-mentioned + plural noun
  • said above-mentioned + noun

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English around the 16th century by combining the adverb 'above' (from Old English 'abufan', meaning 'higher up') with the past participle 'mentioned' (from Latin 'mentionare', via French). The compound was originally used as a legal and administrative term to refer back to something named earlier in a document, a function it has retained for nearly 500 years.