venerable

old, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete 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

ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

• • ancient accounts of dragons

venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

• • the family's venerable patriarch

antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

• • collected antique Chippendale furniture

antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

• • antiquated teaching methods

archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

• • the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

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