Adjective
1
(comparative and superlative of `early') more early than; most early
"a fashion popular in earlier times"
"his earlier work reflects the influence of his teacher"
"Verdi's earliest and most raucous opera"
2
superlative form of early: most early
"The earliest train leaves every morning at dawn."
In plain English: Earliest means happening before anything else, making it the very first thing to occur.
"She woke up at the earliest hour to catch her train before sunrise."
Adverb
1
with the least delay
"the soonest I can arrive is 3 P.M."
2
superlative form of early: most early
"The earliest birds appeared during the late Jurassic period."
In plain English: Earliest means happening before anything else at all.
"We had to wake up at our earliest to catch the train."
Example Sentences
"She woke up at the earliest hour to catch her train before sunrise."
adj
"She was born in my earliest memory of childhood summers."
adj
"Please return the book by the earliest possible date you can manage."
adj
"The sunrise painted the sky with its earliest hues of pink and gold."
adj
"We had to wake up at our earliest to catch the train."
adv