yesteryear

noun yes·ter·year \ ˈye-stər-ˌyir \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: yesteryear in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Word History of yesteryear

Definition of yesteryear

1 : last year

2 : time gone by; especially : the recent past

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yesteryear

adverb

See yesteryear defined for English-language learners

See yesteryear defined for kids

Examples of yesteryear in a Sentence

the simple games of yesteryear that kept children entertained for hours

Recent Examples of yesteryear from the Web

Jada Pinkett Smith is not just a Hollywood mom of yesteryear filling her time.

— refinery29.com, "Red Table Talk Is The Best Thing To Happen To Facebook," 7 June 2018
As with the BlackBerry’s of yesteryear, this latest device emphasizes a physical Qwerty keyboard, industrial strength security, and long battery life.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "Still here? BlackBerry Key2 aims to keep faded iconic brand breathing," 7 June 2018
Familiar hits of yesteryear are on the bill; the cabaret will be presented at 7:30 p.m. June 20 and 21.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Chris Leavy's 'As Time Goes By...' is next Winter Park Playhouse cabaret," 7 June 2018
Now, one surviving example of the sleek stations of yesteryear—a former Texaco at 1650 North Silver Lake Boulevard—looks set to be preserved from demolition by being declared a Historic-Cultural Monument.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "Will Silver Lake’s 1940s Texaco Be Saved From Demolition?," 7 June 2018
Those nostalgic for the former president can escape to memories of yesteryear by listening to his distinct cadence.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "Best Podcasts of 2018 So Far," 5 June 2018
At its beginning, Aarons’s life did not portend photographer of the who’s-who of yesteryear.

— vanity fair, Vanities, "Around the World with Slim Aarons and His Never-Before-Seen Portraits," 5 June 2018
Opening with an impressive montage of black-and-white archive footage showing the arrival of North African immigrants of yesteryear, the film immediately shifts to their contemporary descendants.

— deborah young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Sheherazade': Film Review | Cannes 2018," 14 May 2018
Meyers also poked fun at television's recent penchant for resuscitating shows of yesteryear.

— stephen battaglio, latimes.com, "NBCUniversal, Fox unveil fall lineups to launch upfronts week in New York," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'yesteryear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History of yesteryear

Mais où sont les neiges d’antan is the refrain of a famous poem by François Villon, translated as “But where are the snows of yesteryear?” The line is understood to express a melancholy nostalgia.

The translation was by the English poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Both the French antan and yesteryear originally simply meant “last year,” but today their meaning has broadened to “time gone by.”