yesteryear
noun
yes·ter·year
ˈye-stər-ˌyir 
1
: last year
2
: time gone by
especially
: the recent past
yesteryear
adverb
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Word History of Yesteryear
Mais où sont les neiges d’antan is the refrain of a famous poem by François Villon, translated as “But where are the snows of yesteryear?” The line is understood to express a melancholy nostalgia.
The translation was by the English poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Both the French antan and yesteryear originally simply meant “last year,” but today their meaning has broadened to “time gone by.”
Examples of yesteryear in a Sentence
the simple games of yesteryear that kept children entertained for hours
Recent Examples on the Web
The choices of Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, Kiss, Michael Crawford, and Sylvester Stallone for the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors signal yet the latest example of Trump putting his thumb on the scale of American culture and tossing it back to yesteryear.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
There is an irony that even as clubs focus on and invest ever more deeply in set pieces, the tactics are trending towards yesteryear.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025
The format represents a different way to welcome back former players, rather than having the traditional Old Timers’ Day games from yesteryear.
—Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Why not stay and stand up for what’s real, for what really matters, than flee to a fake memory of a rose-colored yesteryear?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yesteryear
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Philip Elliott, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
There is an irony that even as clubs focus on and invest ever more deeply in set pieces, the tactics are trending towards yesteryear.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025
The format represents a different way to welcome back former players, rather than having the traditional Old Timers’ Day games from yesteryear.
—Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Why not stay and stand up for what’s real, for what really matters, than flee to a fake memory of a rose-colored yesteryear?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yesteryear
Cite this Entry
“Yesteryear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yesteryear. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
yesteryear
noun
yes·ter·year
ˈyes-tər-ˌyi(ə)r
1
: last year
2
: the recent past
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