Thesaurus

old

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of old

1 being of advanced years and especially past middle age

every day the old fisherman set out in his small boat to brave the dangers of the sea

Synonyms of old

aged, aging (or ageing), ancient, elderly, geriatric, long-lived, older, over-the-hill, senescent, senior, unyoung

Words Related to old

centenarian, nonagenarian, octogenarian, septuagenarian, sexagenarian

adult, grown-up, mature, middle-aged

pensioned, retired, superannuated

matriarchal, patriarchal, venerable

anile, decrepit, doddering, senile, spavined, tottery

overage (also overaged)

Phrases Synonymous with old

long in the tooth, of a certain age

Near Antonyms of old

adolescent, immature, juvenile, preteen, puerile

minor, underage

callow, green, inexperienced, raw

babyish, childish, childlike, infantile, infantine, kiddish

Antonyms of old

young, youthful

2 dating or surviving from the distant past

an extremely old piece of jewelry was discovered in the Egyptian ruins

Synonyms of old

age-old, aged, ancient, antediluvian, antique, dateless, hoar, hoary, immemorial, venerable

Words Related to old

aging (or ageing), mature

antiquated, archaic, archaistic, dated, fusty, geriatric, medieval (also mediaeval), moldy, Noachian, obsolete, outmoded, out-of-date, passé

old-fashioned, old-time, old-world, retro, vintage

durable, enduring, lasting, long-lived, permanent

ageless, hallowed, time-honored, timeless, time-tested, timeworn, traditional, tried, tried-and-true

classic, classical

prehistoric (also prehistorical), primeval, primordial

Near Antonyms of old

fresh, vernal, young, youthful

contemporary, current, latest, mod, novel, present-day, ultramodern

untested, untried

brand-new, unused, unworn

Antonyms of old

modern, new, recent

3 having been such at some previous time

I ran into my old fourth-grade teacher yesterday

Synonyms of old

erstwhile, former, late, once, onetime, other, past, quondam, sometime, whilom

Words Related to old

bygone, dead, defunct, departed, expired, extinct, gone, long-ago, vanished

Near Antonyms of old

contemporary, current, extant, ongoing, present, present-day

coming, future, prospective, unborn

4 causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

even the most stirring speeches start to get old after you've heard them a few times

Synonyms of old

arid, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying

Words Related to old

aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless

blank, earthbound, gray (also grey), inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular

annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating

draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing

debilitating, enfeebling

demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting

common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid

cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky (or pokey)

Near Antonyms of old

amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous (or marvellous), sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous

animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling

amusing, diverting, entertaining

moving, poignant, touching

alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating

mesmerizing, spellbinding

arresting, provocative, tantalizing

Antonyms of old

absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting

Synonym Discussion of old

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

Learn More about old

See words that rhyme with old Dictionary: Definition of old Spanish Central: Translation of old Nglish: Translation of old for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of old for Arabic speakers

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