OLDEN Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

olden

adjective

Definition of olden

as in historical

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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 olden Folk saints fill a void in a largely Catholic country where most saints, many with olden European roots, don’t always resonate. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026 In the olden days, when the United States did summit meetings with the Soviet Union, there was a fundamental reason for that, which is, one of the things that the United States wanted from the Soviet Union was arms control. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026 In those golden olden days, pop idols were thought of in the most hallowed terms possible. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 May 2026 One of the world’s largest exhibitions of olden literature is gathering more than a hundred booksellers from across the globe to share their choicest wares — rare tomes, illustrations, maps, historical documents and random ephemera guaranteed to level-up your bookshelf and walls. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for olden

Recent Examples of Synonyms for olden

Adjective

The couple took pains to preserve historical details like the house's original wooden shutters.

— Sophie Caldwell,Valentina Duarte, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
City outlines restrictions on camera use In its statement, the city said officers must enter an offense type and associated case number when conducting historical ALPR searches as part of investigations.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of historical

Adjective

Upon landing in Samarkand on Sunday night, Rubio was warmly embraced by Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Bakhtiyor Saidov, while two women clad in elaborate gold-and-black traditional dresses presented him with a bouquet.

— Reuters, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
In all these areas, the traditional aid system is falling short.

— David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of traditional

Adjective

Police on Tuesday arrested a suspect in the arson attack that charred the historic city hall in Limoges, in central France, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said, adding that the person may not have acted alone.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
On Saturday alone, at least 2,400 people were arrested after rioters in cities across France clashed with police, set cars on fire, stormed public buildings, looted stores and engulfed a historic city hall in flames.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of historic

Adjective

The antiquated federal code lacks any guidance for building these homes to withstand earthquakes, wildfires or tornadoes.

— Arindam Chowdhury, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Adopting techniques from classic-Hollywood style, cinematographers dusted off antiquated equipment, using tungsten bulbs instead of LEDs to create the low-key contrasts typical of the genre.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

In the Wall Street Journal, James Lloyd Dusenbury recently argued that our political vocabulary, including communism and capitalism, is obsolete.

— Jason Thurlkill, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
While most Apple products stop receiving repairs or replacement parts after being added to the obsolete list, MacBooks may still receive battery replacements for up to 10 years after Apple stops selling them — if batteries are still available.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of obsolete

Adjective

The docent, red glasses in hand, slumps against the old-time cannon.

— George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
While today's freezers are packed with ice cream flavors such as cookies and cream, salted caramel and mint chocolate chip, some old-time favorites seem to have melted away.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of old-time

Adjective

The group is silent and still, reverently absorbing the mechanical chug of this nearly outmoded office machine like Hollywood Bowl-goers taking in Joshua Bell.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Personally, this idea that the woke nonsense is just an outmoded relic of the past is ridiculous.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

Lebanon’s state electricity company is one of the country’s biggest sources of debt, hemorrhaging about $40 billion over the past decades with a bloated workforce and outdated infrastructure.

— Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
One possible reason is that safety professionals themselves are overextended, with too many sites to monitor and outdated sensors to monitor with.

— Matt Alderton, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of outdated

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old country

olden

older

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“Olden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/olden. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of olden

adjective

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