old 1 of 2

adjective

ˈōld How to pronounce old (audio)
Definition of oldnext
1
as in older
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

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2
as in ancient
dating or surviving from the distant past an extremely old piece of jewelry was discovered in the Egyptian ruins

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3
as in former
having been such at some previous time I ran into my old fourth-grade teacher yesterday

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4
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest even the most stirring speeches start to get old after you've heard them a few times

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old

2 of 2

noun

as in antiquity

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an old woman
an elderly woman
an octogenarian woman
a senior woman
a grandmotherly woman
an elder woman
an old house
an outdated house
an obsolete house
a previous house
a former house
an earlier house
old days
ancient days
archaic days
long-past days
in-those days
simpler days
an old town
a historic town
a classic town
a historical town
an ancient town
an old friend
a longtime friend
a past friend
a familiar friend
a longstanding friend
a previous friend

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective old differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of old are ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, obsolete, and venerable. While all these words mean "having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past," old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses
an old sweater of mine

When can ancient be used instead of old?

While in some cases nearly identical to old, ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

When might antiquated be a better fit than old?

In some situations, the words antiquated and old are roughly equivalent. However, antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

When would antique be a good substitute for old?

The meanings of antique and old largely overlap; however, antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

When is archaic a more appropriate choice than old?

While the synonyms archaic and old are close in meaning, archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

In what contexts can obsolete take the place of old?

The words obsolete and old are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence.

a computer that makes earlier models obsolete

When is it sensible to use venerable instead of old?

The words venerable and old can be used in similar contexts, but venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of old
Adjective
When old regimes fall, the causes tend to be economic: France before 1789 was effectively bankrupt. —Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025 Not content just to confirm its arrival, Veach deftly sliced a slit in the plastic to minimize any potential forensic trail, removed the new game and swapped in the old version before carefully rewrapping it. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
Jurors repeatedly watched graphic clips from police video that showed the officers punch and kick Nichols and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home, as the 29-year-old called out for his mother. —Adrian Sainz, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024 By comparison, 60% of 45- to 60-year olds buy protein products. —Michelle Fox, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for old
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old
  1. ancient
  2. former
  3. boring
  4. antiquity
  5. elderly
  6. venerable
  7. erstwhile
  8. stupid
Adjective
  • Accessible by boat, air, or an ancient Roman causeway that appears only at low tide, the sprawling 380-acre island compound is now on the market for £25 million (about $33.2 million) with Knight Frank and Fine & Country.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 May 2025
  • There, another ancient species disappeared long ago and left behind artifacts.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 1 May 2025
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • Four quality starts in a six-game series against Ottawa is a good start, but this matchup against his former teammates is the test.
    — The Athletic NHL, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • When the Sky front office was considering Van Lith in the draft, Reese didn’t hesitate to vouch for her former — and future — teammate.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2025
Definition of former
Adjective
  • No more boring, irrelevant training modules—this is learning at the speed of work.
    — Lisa Bodell, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Some of this may happen under cover of darkness, but much of it happens in the open, under cover of arcane technocracy or boring bureaucracy.
    — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Definition of boring
Noun
  • Schools in antiquity placed an emphasis on healthy minds and healthy bodies — and teachers ensured that young men were physically and intellectually ready for adult life.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Many of the antiquities in the Palmyra museum were sent to Damascus for safekeeping after the start of the civil war.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of antiquity
Adjective
  • In rare cases, salmonella can result in more serious illness and can be fatal in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.
    — Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 4 May 2025
  • There was South Gate, where former Mayor and Treasurer Albert Robles was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2006 on corruption charges and an elderly council member survived a gunshot wound to the head in a case that was never solved.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Definition of elderly
Adjective
  • President Donald Trump had pursued one venerable D.C. firm, Covington & Burling, with an executive order that revoked security clearances for lawyers representing the former special counsel Jack Smith.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Bill Owens, executive producer of the venerable Sunday night news magazine, suggested the show’s editorial independence has been whittled away as corporate parent Paramount seeks to make peace with Trump.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
Definition of venerable
Adjective
  • That Horan yearns for the Fed to centrally plan an absurd creation of statist economists (GDP), prices, income, and employment more broadly is yet another disturbing lurch by an erstwhile free-market crowd that brevity disallows discussion of for now.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
  • The team is also working on restoring the habitat across the island, which was stripped of all its vegetation during its time as an erstwhile guano mining spot.
    — Tim Chester, AFAR Media, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of erstwhile
Adjective
  • Making stupid internet fodder has never been easier than now, with the prevalence of AI image generators making everything from deepfakes to memes.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Much like the stupid prions wreaking havoc in his brain.
    — David Oliver, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Definition of stupid

Phrases Containing old

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Cite this Entry

“Old.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

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