as in fogey
a person or thing that is similar to someone or something from the past or that is suited to an earlier time
—usually + to
She's a throwback to the actresses of the 1950s. The band's music is a throwback to the 1980s.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of throwback
Wenxin Fan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
The episode is both a glorious throwback to classic science fiction (especially Star Trek) and a thrilling look forward into the questions the digital world raises around personhood and agency.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
But when the man’s mother arrives on his doorstep weeks before Christmas, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit for the first time in a decade.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throwback
Noun
Chai's return coincides with growing restrictions in China Chai's followers note that her show is a throwback to an era that has largely evaporated since Xi took power in 2012.
—Wenxin Fan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
The episode is both a glorious throwback to classic science fiction (especially Star Trek) and a thrilling look forward into the questions the digital world raises around personhood and agency.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
With each time warp, he’s thrown back further and further into the bodies of his most influential ancestors.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
But when the man’s mother arrives on his doorstep weeks before Christmas, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit for the first time in a decade.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throwback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwback
Verb
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Alaba, meanwhile, had returned from 399 days out with his ACL injury in January.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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The poll returned from a hiatus in 2024, when monthslong actors and writers' strikes in Hollywood disrupted the rollout of new and returning shows and delayed renewal decisions.—
Gary Levin,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Noun
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These are people who know AI and have grown up with this stuff that these old fogies haven't.—
Alison Snyder,
Axios,
23 Feb. 2025
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And some of us older fogies, Joni Mitchell and Carole King.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2023
Verb
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Rising bond yields Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds typically fall – and their prices rise - as investors flee stocks for the safe haven of Treasuries during economic slowdowns.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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Devon believes Simone is under Michaela’s spell and tries to get her off the island, but may fall for the seduction of luxury herself.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Subjects range from a dinosaur fossil dig in Central China, the opening of Cuba to American tourists, the new energy in Vienna and the best seafood spots on Canada’s Prince Edward Island to a luxury camp in Antarctica and the best new restaurant in New York.—
Laurie Werner,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Run by the Museums of Western Colorado’s Paleontology Division, half- and full-day Dinosaur Digs and Expeditions from June through September invite children ages 5 and up (or 7+ for the full day) to participate in real-life excavations, prospecting, fossil prep, and more.—
Ashlea Halpern,
AFAR Media,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Muir declined to speak to The Athletic about the evolution of Stanford athletics.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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More: Trump cannot use Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans, judge rules A federal appeals court on April 18 declined the administration's request to pause the judge's order.—
Andrew Chung and John Kruzel,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
Noun
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For decades, old-timers like me figured there was just no way anyone could get to 894.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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From Matt Damon’s anxious pickpocket to Carl Reiner’s old-timer master of disguise, each member of the gang is unforgettable in their own way, and the precision with which Soderbergh arranges them during the big heist is hugely satisfying every time.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Their chat degenerates into an argument, and Émilie storms off.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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But season one degenerated into self-indulgent performance art when Fielder chose to place himself at the center of the action as part of an extended exploration of his readiness to be a parent.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Her being nominated for playing a grotesque has-been is, at the very least, a delicious irony.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Throwback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwback. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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