nostalgic

1 of 2

adjective

nos·​tal·​gic nä-ˈstal-jik How to pronounce nostalgic (audio)
nə-,
 also  nȯ-,
nō-;
nə-ˈstäl-
: feeling or inspiring nostalgia: such as
a
: longing for or thinking fondly of a past time or condition
As we drove through the French countryside, I couldn't help being not just nostalgic, but wistful, about how simple wine was 25 years ago.Matt Kramer
The protest mostly featured the usual suspects—anti-capitalists, environmentalists, union types chanting "Solidarity," and aging hippies nostalgic for their youth.Margaret Wente
b
: evocative of a longed-for past time or condition
He loved good stories, especially nostalgic ones from his boyhood, and relished the telling.Peter Schworm
He soon parlayed his nostalgic pictures into a business that would eventually include writing, antique collecting, museum operations, and reproduction-furniture making.David K. Leff
nostalgically
nä-ˈstal-ji-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce nostalgic (audio)
nə-
 also  nȯ-
nō-;
nə-ˈstäl-
adverb
thinking nostalgically of the summers they spent together
looking back nostalgically on happier times

nostalgic

2 of 2

noun

plural nostalgics
: someone who longs for a past time or condition : a person given to nostalgia
There are nostalgics on both sides who felt better with a predictably snarling standoff than with the uncertain paths now opening.Flora Lewis
Eventually it would become an empty shell, a refuge for nostalgics unable to accept the challenge facing all organizations in a changing world; adapt or perish.John L. H. Keep

Examples of nostalgic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Blockade Runner Beach Resort is celebrating its 60th birthday with a nostalgic giveaway that will give 60 lucky winners a chance to vacation like its 1964 with $16 room rates. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 The company’s founder, Zhenghua Yang, gets nostalgic for prepandemic days when people hung out at the office over potlucks and Ping-Pong — but also notices that his employees now seem to have a healthier balance between family and professional life. Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 From nostalgic makeup products that blew up on TikTok and sustainable skin care innovations that reshaped our routines to buzzy launches, 2024 so far has been a playground for our beauty editors to rediscover old formulas—and fall in love with new ones. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 Regardless of what it’s called, Valvano just hopes her creations give people a bit of nostalgic enjoyment. Annemarie Dooling, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 The tour will not just be a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the Different World family, but also a chance to raise money for scholarship funds. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 Taco Bell is also paying homage to a nostalgic treat with its latest collaboration with Salt & Straw. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 Explore Chance the Rapper John Legend See latest videos, charts and news There were wet eyes in the room as the 17-year-old brothers sprung the nostalgic number, on pitch, and with a solid hug at the end. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024 This will include a variety of games, including the newest interactive and high-energy games along with some nostalgic games. Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
And there’s even that little red eraser ball cursor from back in the day for nostalgics. Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 6 Dec. 2023 In part, this game is for the nostalgics in the FC Cincinnati and Louisville City FC fan bases. The Enquirer, 25 Apr. 2023 Making any changes to such beloved brands means balancing the new with the nostalgic. Erich Schwartzel, WSJ, 6 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nostalgic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

nostalg(ia) + -ic entry 1

Noun

noun derivative of nostalgic entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1782, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nostalgic was in 1782

Dictionary Entries Near nostalgic

Cite this Entry

“Nostalgic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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