old

old

adjective

Definition of OLD

1

being of advanced years and especially past middle age <every day the old fisherman set out in his small boat to brave the dangers of the sea>

Synonyms aged, aging (or ageing), ancient, geriatric, long-lived, old, older, over-the-hill, senescent, senior, unyoung

Related Words centenarian, nonagenarian, octogenarian, septuagenarian, sexagenarian; oldish; adult, grown-up, mature, middle-aged; pensioned, retired, superannuated; matriarchal, patriarchal, venerable; anile, decrepit, doddering, senile, spavined, tottery; overage (also overaged)

Near Antonyms ageless; youngish; adolescent, immature, juvenile, preteen, puerile; minor, underage; callow, green, inexperienced, raw; babyish, childish, childlike, infantile, infantine, kiddish

Antonyms young, youthful

2

dating or surviving from the distant past <an extremely old piece of jewelry was discovered in the Egyptian ruins>

Synonyms aged, age-old, antediluvian, antique, dateless, hoar, hoary, immemorial, old, venerable

Related Words aging (or ageing), mature; antiquated, archaic, archaistic, dated, fusty, geriatric, medieval (also mediaeval), moldy, Noachian, obsolete, outmoded, out-of-date, passé; old-fashioned, old-time, old-world, retro, vintage; durable, enduring, lasting, long-lived, permanent; ageless, hallowed, time-honored, timeless, time-tested, timeworn, traditional, tried, tried-and-true; classic, classical; prehistoric (also prehistorical), primeval, primordial

Near Antonyms fresh, vernal, young, youthful; contemporary, current, latest, mod, novel, present-day, ultramodern; untested, untried; brand-new, unused, unworn

Antonyms modern, new, recent

3

having been such at some previous time <I ran into my old fourth-grade teacher yesterday>

Synonyms erstwhile, late, old, once, onetime, other, past, quondam, sometime, whilom

Related Words bygone, dead, defunct, departed, expired, extinct, gone, long-ago, vanished

Near Antonyms contemporary, current, extant, ongoing, present, present-day; coming, future, prospective, unborn

4

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest <even the most stirring speeches start to get old after you've heard them a few times>

Synonyms arid, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying

Related Words aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless; blank, earthbound, gray (also grey), inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular; annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating; longsome; palling; draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing; debilitating, enfeebling; demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting; common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid; cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky (or pokey)

Near Antonyms amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous (or marvellous), sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous; animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling; amusing, diverting, entertaining; moving, poignant, touching; alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating; mesmerizing, spellbinding; suspenseful; arresting, provocative, tantalizing

Antonyms absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting