hoary

adjective

ˈhȯr-ē How to pronounce hoary (audio)
Definition of hoarynext
as in ancient
dating or surviving from the distant past hoary oak trees with dripping moss and gnarled limbs shaded us from the sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hoary Connecticut’s three tree-roosting bat species include the eastern red, silver-haired, and hoary bats. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2026 That hoary image remains compelling. — Sam Lipsyte, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025 The most common species of bats found in Grand Teton National Park are little brown bats, followed by big brown, silver-haired, hoary, Yuma, long-legged, and long-eared bats, the agency said. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025 Ultimately, everyone’s happiness is denied, which makes for a cautionary critique of the hoary cliché of 1950s repression (the same falsification that was the basis of Todd Haynes’s drab lesbian drama Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara). — Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hoary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoary
  1. ancient
  2. venerable
  3. old
  4. medieval
  5. antique
Adjective
  • Adding fuel to the debate is the discovery of ancient artifacts — texts, frescoes, tombstone inscriptions — that seem, to some, to depict women as priests in the early Catholic Church.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The two genetic variants are also ancient, suggesting that the difference has persisted over evolutionary timescales.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • There’s Haroon Mirza’s Stone Circle, commissioned by Ballroom Marfa, another venerable local institution.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The venerable broadcast network regained the league’s rights as part of an 11-year media deal, reviving the iconic theme song that accompanied NBA broadcasts from 1990 to 2002.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of venerable
Adjective
  • The pickup’s driver, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, was taken into custody but was later released after police consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.
    — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of old
Adjective
  • It was filmed on two medieval backlots at Korda Studios and the National Film Institute, to the west and north of the city respectively, according to Barbara Reardon, a local co-producer.
    — Lucy Handley, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • By the medieval period, Christianity was the dominant religion of Europe, but long-distance travel was extremely difficult, and embarking upon a pilgrimage to Jerusalem was often regarded as a death sentence.
    — Shay Rabineau, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • Noyce, of Fairchild, went to a photography store and found a few serviceable lenses in a crate of antique movie cameras.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Someone wants to hike; someone else would rather browse antique shops; a few people are already asking what’s for dinner.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of antique

Browse Nearby Words

hoarse
hoary
hoax
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Cite this Entry

“Hoary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoary. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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