old-fashioned

1 of 2

adjective

old-fash·​ioned ˈōl(d)-ˈfa-shənd 

1

a

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a past era

… wears an old-fashioned black bow tie …

—Green Peyton

doing it the old-fashioned way

b

: adhering to customs of a past era

good old-fashioned manners

2

: outmoded

old-fashioned views

old-fashionedly

ˈōl(d)-ˈfa-shən(d)-lē 

adverb

old-fashionedness

ˈōl(d)-ˈfa-shən(d)-nəs 

noun

old-fashioned

2 of 2

noun

: a cocktail usually made with whiskey, bitters, sugar, a twist of lemon peel, and a small amount of water or soda

Synonyms of old-fashioned

Adjective

• vintage
• antique
• retro
• traditional
• antiquated
• historical
• historic
• old-time
• old-school

Examples of old-fashioned in a Sentence

Adjective

an elegant, old-fashioned bun that was held in place with pearl hairpins

I'm so old-fashioned that I actually think people should use standard grammar and punctuation when composing e-mails

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The scheme in question appears to have been a very old-fashioned one. —Kristina Berdynskykh, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2025

There are also other methods for kids to stay in touch with one another, including old-fashioned landlines. —Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025

Noun

Its problem stemmed from an old-fashioned maturity mismatch between assets (such as loans and securities) and liabilities (such as deposits). —Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2023

The results, plotted on the monitors next door, looked a bit like old-fashioned sing-alongs: follow the bouncing ball. —Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for old-fashioned

• fashioned
• rationed
• impassioned
• refashioned

Kids Definition

old-fashioned

adjective

old-fash·​ioned

ˈōl(d)-ˈfash-ənd

1

: of, relating to, or like that of an earlier time

old-fashioned clothes

2

: holding fast to old ways : conservative