old-fash·ioned
ˈōl(d)-ˈfa-shənd 
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a past era
wears an old-fashioned black bow tie—
Green Peyton
Green Peyton
b
: adhering to customs of a past era
2
: outmoded
: a cocktail usually made with whiskey, bitters, sugar, a twist of lemon peel, and a small amount of water or soda
Synonyms
Examples of old-fashioned in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebSarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023
At the hotel’s restaurant, Locanda Sotto gli Archi, the menu is filled with old-fashioned working-class dishes.
—Julia Buckley, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023
Voice notes, and even old-fashioned phone calls are fine in moderation, but when done excessively, can interrupt other travelers from hearing important information about their flights and gate changes.
—Jenn Rice, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023
While Louisville has its share of white-tablecloth places with old-fashioned service (and menu offerings to match), the energy in its increasingly eclectic culinary scene has begun to shift into unexpected places.
—Valerie Rains, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2023
Nowadays, old-fashioned steam engines alternate with biodiesel locomotives for the three-hour round trip on the mountain’s western slope.
—Patricia Harris and David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
As print fades, so do the old-fashioned joys of following the ideological contortions of a newspaper editorial page.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2023
There will be a 5K Grape Day Run, old-fashioned children’s games, face painting and balloon art along with a 4-H petting zoo.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2023
Directed by William Friedkin, this thriller about a young mother (Ellen Burstyn) who tries to exorcise her young daughter (Linda Blair), is brimming with old-fashioned scare shots and a highly quotable script.
—Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2023
The results, plotted on the monitors next door, looked a bit like old-fashioned sing-alongs: follow the bouncing ball.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
However The Reporter Wants To Communicate While email is my primary means of starting a relationship with a reporter, that relationship can move to Twitter, text or an old-fashioned phone call.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The shift to digital payments also accelerated during the pandemic, leading stores to replace old-fashioned cash tip jars with tablet touch screens.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 25 Mar. 2023
Director Michael Wainstein has cast his show with faces that radiate optimism in the best old-fashioned musical style.
—Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2023
Also called Butterfly roses, Mutabilis is just one of the tough modern and old-fashioned roses.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2023
Instead of an old-fashioned announcement or an Instagram post, however, the pair chose to reveal the news in true pop star style.
—Alberto Sisí Sánchez, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2023
The menu is huge and offers everything from butter horns to cheese fondue to old-fashioned pressure cooker fried chicken.
—Jevensen, oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2023
See More
Adjective
But the PlayStation 5 version, released last week, introduces a third option: local, or so-called couch co-op, which allows people to play the old-fashioned way on a split screen, sitting side-by-side.
—Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023
At the hotel’s restaurant, Locanda Sotto gli Archi, the menu is filled with old-fashioned working-class dishes.
—Julia Buckley, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023
Voice notes, and even old-fashioned phone calls are fine in moderation, but when done excessively, can interrupt other travelers from hearing important information about their flights and gate changes.
—Jenn Rice, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2023
While Louisville has its share of white-tablecloth places with old-fashioned service (and menu offerings to match), the energy in its increasingly eclectic culinary scene has begun to shift into unexpected places.
—Valerie Rains, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2023
Nowadays, old-fashioned steam engines alternate with biodiesel locomotives for the three-hour round trip on the mountain’s western slope.
—Patricia Harris and David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
As print fades, so do the old-fashioned joys of following the ideological contortions of a newspaper editorial page.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2023
There will be a 5K Grape Day Run, old-fashioned children’s games, face painting and balloon art along with a 4-H petting zoo.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2023
Directed by William Friedkin, this thriller about a young mother (Ellen Burstyn) who tries to exorcise her young daughter (Linda Blair), is brimming with old-fashioned scare shots and a highly quotable script.
—Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
Noun
Its problem stemmed from an old-fashioned maturity mismatch between assets (such as loans and securities) and liabilities (such as deposits).
—Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2023
The results, plotted on the monitors next door, looked a bit like old-fashioned sing-alongs: follow the bouncing ball.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
However The Reporter Wants To Communicate While email is my primary means of starting a relationship with a reporter, that relationship can move to Twitter, text or an old-fashioned phone call.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The shift to digital payments also accelerated during the pandemic, leading stores to replace old-fashioned cash tip jars with tablet touch screens.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 25 Mar. 2023
Director Michael Wainstein has cast his show with faces that radiate optimism in the best old-fashioned musical style.
—Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2023
Also called Butterfly roses, Mutabilis is just one of the tough modern and old-fashioned roses.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2023
Instead of an old-fashioned announcement or an Instagram post, however, the pair chose to reveal the news in true pop star style.
—Alberto Sisí Sánchez, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2023
The menu is huge and offers everything from butter horns to cheese fondue to old-fashioned pressure cooker fried chicken.
—Jevensen, oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'old-fashioned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Articles Related to old-fashioned
Dictionary Entries Near old-fashioned
Cite this Entry
“Old-fashioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old-fashioned. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
old-fashioned
adjective
old-fash·ioned
ˈōl(d)-ˈfash-ənd
1
: of, relating to, or like that of an earlier time
old-fashioned clothes
2
: holding fast to old ways : conservative
More from Merriam-Webster on old-fashioned
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share