as in fogey
a person or thing that is similar to someone or something from the past or that is suited to an earlier time
—usually + to
She's a throwback to the actresses of the 1950s. The band's music is a throwback to the 1980s.
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Recent Examples of throwback
Wenxin Fan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
The episode is both a glorious throwback to classic science fiction (especially Star Trek) and a thrilling look forward into the questions the digital world raises around personhood and agency.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
But when the man’s mother arrives on his doorstep weeks before Christmas, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit for the first time in a decade.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throwback
Noun
Chai's return coincides with growing restrictions in China Chai's followers note that her show is a throwback to an era that has largely evaporated since Xi took power in 2012.
—Wenxin Fan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
The episode is both a glorious throwback to classic science fiction (especially Star Trek) and a thrilling look forward into the questions the digital world raises around personhood and agency.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
With each time warp, he’s thrown back further and further into the bodies of his most influential ancestors.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
But when the man’s mother arrives on his doorstep weeks before Christmas, the two are thrown back into each other’s orbit for the first time in a decade.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throwback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwback
Verb
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One of those jets may also return as soon as this week, CBS News has confirmed.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2025
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The actress attempted to treat her condition, but her voice did not return.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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These are people who know AI and have grown up with this stuff that these old fogies haven't.—
Alison Snyder,
Axios,
23 Feb. 2025
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And some of us older fogies, Joni Mitchell and Carole King.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2023
Verb
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Rising bond yields Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds typically fall – and their prices rise - as investors flee stocks for the safe haven of Treasuries during economic slowdowns.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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Sales are falling partly due to rising competition from other automakers’ EV offerings, especially in China.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Subjects range from a dinosaur fossil dig in Central China, the opening of Cuba to American tourists, the new energy in Vienna and the best seafood spots on Canada’s Prince Edward Island to a luxury camp in Antarctica and the best new restaurant in New York.—
Laurie Werner,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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Run by the Museums of Western Colorado’s Paleontology Division, half- and full-day Dinosaur Digs and Expeditions from June through September invite children ages 5 and up (or 7+ for the full day) to participate in real-life excavations, prospecting, fossil prep, and more.—
Ashlea Halpern,
AFAR Media,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Muir declined to speak to The Athletic about the evolution of Stanford athletics.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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Both the Probation Department and DMH declined to comment.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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For decades, old-timers like me figured there was just no way anyone could get to 894.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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From Matt Damon’s anxious pickpocket to Carl Reiner’s old-timer master of disguise, each member of the gang is unforgettable in their own way, and the precision with which Soderbergh arranges them during the big heist is hugely satisfying every time.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But season one degenerated into self-indulgent performance art when Fielder chose to place himself at the center of the action as part of an extended exploration of his readiness to be a parent.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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What if European savers, depicted by MAGA evangelists as rich and degenerate progressives, sold American assets and repatriated their savings?—
David McWilliams,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Her being nominated for playing a grotesque has-been is, at the very least, a delicious irony.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Throwback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwback. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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