as in archaic
having passed its time of use or usefulness
mossy rules of etiquette that date from the Victorian era
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 mossy
Vast tracts of land upon West Antarctic islands would then open up to growth of mossy ground cover and coastal vegetation that would turn Antarctica more green than its current icy white.
—
Keiji Horikawa, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
Purple wildflowers stick out of mossy grass, and the electric-blue water and white sand look more Caribbean than Arctic.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
This fall, look for dresses in earthy or neutral tones—think browns, mossy greens, beige, black, or gray—that will suit an autumnal palette, with flat shoes with metallic, velvet, or patent leather detail in a complementary color.
—René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 27 Sep. 2025
There’s always something to look at — migrating gray whales, candy cap mushrooms tucked into mossy trails, surfers waiting for breaks down at Big River Beach.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mossy
Keiji Horikawa, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
Purple wildflowers stick out of mossy grass, and the electric-blue water and white sand look more Caribbean than Arctic.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
This fall, look for dresses in earthy or neutral tones—think browns, mossy greens, beige, black, or gray—that will suit an autumnal palette, with flat shoes with metallic, velvet, or patent leather detail in a complementary color.
—René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 27 Sep. 2025
There’s always something to look at — migrating gray whales, candy cap mushrooms tucked into mossy trails, surfers waiting for breaks down at Big River Beach.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mossy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mossy
Adjective
-
Fierce union backlash has derailed previous government attempts at shaking up Argentina’s archaic labor code, widely seen as among the most costly to companies in Latin America.—
Isabel Debre,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Now, athletes should be able to dissect loopholes within the archaic NCAA eligibility system, which seems to be dissolving slowly in real time.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Colbert episode did not prove that the agency is tyrannical or obsolete.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
-
In the decades since, SUVs have rendered minivans all but obsolete and all but destroyed sedans, too, with cars as venerable as the Lexus LS heading for the exits while that marque’s SUV lineup seemingly never stops expanding.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Trump may attempt to revive Section 338 of the antiquated 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which theoretically allows the president to hit discriminatory countries with tariffs of up to 50%, but Ashworth sees courts ruling that the explicit provisions of the 1974 Trade Act would take legal precedence.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Instead of preserving antiquated limits, Trump needs to act unilaterally to modernize America’s nuclear deterrent.—
Marc A. Thiessen,
Washington Post,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Hundreds of people battled police in what witnesses described as medieval warfare that left 140 officers injured.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The monthlong exhibition strains Assisi’s medieval streets and services, with officials expecting nearly half a million pilgrims through the mountainside city.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Nasher includes one of John Chamberlain’s sculptures assembled from twisted metal parts, and a motorized Jean Tinguely contraption of miscellaneous rusty metal bits.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
But when Becky begins to climb down, several rusty bolts give out and the ladder collapses, crashing to the sand below.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Free-living non-native pigs east of the Wallace Line exhibit complex genomes that suggest waves of prehistoric human translocations.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The discovery of this prehistoric predator is rewriting the closing chapters of the dinosaur era.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mossy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mossy. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
