What it means
もはや indicates that a situation has reached a point where something is already the case or is no longer the case. It often presents the situation as settled, irreversible, or beyond a previous stage. With a negative predicate, it commonly means “no longer”; with an affirmative predicate, it can mean “already.” The expression is especially common in formal, written, analytical, and serious contexts, and it is less casual than もう.
Usage note
もはや is not itself a polite form, so its surface form remains unchanged in polite sentences. Do not treat it as a simple formal replacement for every use of もう; もはや usually emphasizes that a former state has definitively ended or that a new state is already established.
How to use it
もはやこの制度は機能しません。
This system no longer functions.
もはやこの制度は機能しない。
This system no longer functions.
Example sentences
制度の見直しを先送りできる段階は、もはや過ぎている。
The stage at which we can postpone reviewing the system has already passed.
災害への備えは、もはや専門家だけに任せておける問題ではない。
Disaster preparedness is no longer an issue that can be left solely to experts.
この規格は、もはや現行の安全基準を満たしていない。
This standard no longer meets the current safety standards.