good old

idiom

variants or less commonly good ol' or good ole

informal

—used before a noun to describe a familiar person or thing with affection or approval

Good old John: you can always count on him to help.

I don't need fancy shoes. I prefer good old sneakers.

They were talking about the good old days.

Examples of good old in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With nearly 90,000 square feet, the Children’s Museum Houston is devoted to exhibits that encourage movement, experimentation, and, of course, good ol' fashioned fun through hands-on play. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026

Yes, award season is underway, which means already the best dressed list is looking pretty stacked, but the latest contender comes from none other than Sabrina Carpenter via a good old photo dump on Instagram. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026

According to Hill, good old-fashioned sunlight naturally kills bacteria, refreshes items, and whitens fabrics. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026

Prioritize Unstructured Play Encourage kids to put the screens down and engage in some good old-fashioned play—preferably outside when possible. —Anna Halkidis, Parents, 2 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for good old

• ahold
• behold
• billfold
• blindfold
• cajoled
• consoled
• controlled
• cotswold
• eightfold
• enfold
• enrolled
• extolled