as in traditional
chiefly US
done or used for a long time and proved to be effective
These time-tested methods have worked for farmers for hundreds of years.
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Recent Examples of time-tested
The publication also said its formula has been time-tested, challenged and approved for centuries.
—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Most of all, Washington must make clear that the U.S. nuclear umbrella—a crucial and time-tested deterrent to Russian aggression—remains in place.
—Michael E. O’Hanlon, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
The style rules that rankle conservatives are nested among thousands of Stylebook directives about punctuation and grammar, most of them time-tested and innocuous — capitalization, commas and company names.
—Marc Caputo, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
Not every improvement will make a difference — or is worth the cost — but there are some that Travelers Insurance identified that are time-tested and proven to help.
—Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 3 Feb. 2025
There's no stopping the clock, but these ingredients are time-tested and science-backed in order to restore a smooth, firm look.
—Jenny Berg, Allure, 24 Jan. 2025
While effective and time-tested, these methods are limited by human memory and data-processing capacity; not because of a lack of expertise, but because human brains are naturally limited in handling large datasets.
—Andrei Kasyanau, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
In that workshop, artisans, craftspeople and mechanics were assembling vehicles, new and old, using modern and time-tested techniques.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Its rituals have been fine-tuned and time-tested to respond to human needs.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 20 Oct. 2024
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Most of all, Washington must make clear that the U.S. nuclear umbrella—a crucial and time-tested deterrent to Russian aggression—remains in place.
—Michael E. O’Hanlon, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
The style rules that rankle conservatives are nested among thousands of Stylebook directives about punctuation and grammar, most of them time-tested and innocuous — capitalization, commas and company names.
—Marc Caputo, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
Not every improvement will make a difference — or is worth the cost — but there are some that Travelers Insurance identified that are time-tested and proven to help.
—Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 3 Feb. 2025
There's no stopping the clock, but these ingredients are time-tested and science-backed in order to restore a smooth, firm look.
—Jenny Berg, Allure, 24 Jan. 2025
While effective and time-tested, these methods are limited by human memory and data-processing capacity; not because of a lack of expertise, but because human brains are naturally limited in handling large datasets.
—Andrei Kasyanau, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
In that workshop, artisans, craftspeople and mechanics were assembling vehicles, new and old, using modern and time-tested techniques.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Its rituals have been fine-tuned and time-tested to respond to human needs.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 20 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for time-tested
Adjective
-
Meals in The Eatery all-day buffet; in Horizons, the three-floor main dining room (which offers the traditional early and late seating as well as anytime dining); at the 24-hour International Café; and on the outdoor decks at The Lido and Promenade are all included in the cruise fare.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
-
This flexibility is intended to enable more advanced maneuvering and mission profiles than traditional hypersonic boost-glide and cruise missile systems.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Buying into this ancient predator-prey superstition are the nonprofits Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and Utah Wild Sheep Foundation.—
Ted Williams,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
-
American geneticist Audrey Lin studies evolution using ancient DNA, with a particular focus on how dogs were domesticated.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Time-tested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/time-tested. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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