old-fash·ioned
ˈōl(d)-ˈfa-shənd 
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a past era
wears an old-fashioned black bow tie—
Green Peyton
Green Peyton
b
: adhering to customs of a past era
2
: outmoded
: a cocktail usually made with whiskey, bitters, sugar, a twist of lemon peel, and a small amount of water or soda
Synonyms
Examples of old-fashioned in a Sentence
Adjective
an elegant, old-fashioned bun that was held in place with pearl hairpins
I'm so old-fashioned that I actually think people should use standard grammar and punctuation when composing e-mails
Recent Examples on the WebCaryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024
Los Vaqueros is a traditional Mexican restaurant with a menu rooted in old-fashioned Tex-Mex.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2024
There's the more old-fashioned way of disciplining which involves time-outs and things like that.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024
While her sound still leans traditional and her voice has an old-fashioned twang, her lyrics usually avoid country’s common nostalgic bent and have separated her music from some of her contemporaries’.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 9 May 2024
Then a good, old-fashioned plot twist happens that ...
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
For all the new emphasis on light-footprint policing and community partnerships, today’s operation is an old-fashioned stakeout.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024
National security concerns and old-fashioned protectionism have kept these cars out of the U.S. so far.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 6 May 2024
At stake were not only competing visions of the town’s signature event, but the survival of the kinds of old-fashioned community volunteer groups that historically formed part of the backbone of American towns.
—J. David Goodman Desiree Rios, New York Times, 4 May 2024
Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2023
The results, plotted on the monitors next door, looked a bit like old-fashioned sing-alongs: follow the bouncing ball.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
However The Reporter Wants To Communicate While email is my primary means of starting a relationship with a reporter, that relationship can move to Twitter, text or an old-fashioned phone call.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The shift to digital payments also accelerated during the pandemic, leading stores to replace old-fashioned cash tip jars with tablet touch screens.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 25 Mar. 2023
Director Michael Wainstein has cast his show with faces that radiate optimism in the best old-fashioned musical style.
—Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2023
Also called Butterfly roses, Mutabilis is just one of the tough modern and old-fashioned roses.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2023
Instead of an old-fashioned announcement or an Instagram post, however, the pair chose to reveal the news in true pop star style.
—Alberto Sisí Sánchez, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2023
The menu is huge and offers everything from butter horns to cheese fondue to old-fashioned pressure cooker fried chicken.
—Jevensen, oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2023
Adjective
The visual exceptions are the clichéd, recurring establishing shots of an old-fashioned reel-to-reel tape recorder, next to a martini glass.
—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024
Los Vaqueros is a traditional Mexican restaurant with a menu rooted in old-fashioned Tex-Mex.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2024
There's the more old-fashioned way of disciplining which involves time-outs and things like that.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024
While her sound still leans traditional and her voice has an old-fashioned twang, her lyrics usually avoid country’s common nostalgic bent and have separated her music from some of her contemporaries’.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 9 May 2024
Then a good, old-fashioned plot twist happens that ...
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
For all the new emphasis on light-footprint policing and community partnerships, today’s operation is an old-fashioned stakeout.
—Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024
National security concerns and old-fashioned protectionism have kept these cars out of the U.S. so far.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 6 May 2024
At stake were not only competing visions of the town’s signature event, but the survival of the kinds of old-fashioned community volunteer groups that historically formed part of the backbone of American towns.
—J. David Goodman Desiree Rios, New York Times, 4 May 2024
Noun
Its problem stemmed from an old-fashioned maturity mismatch between assets (such as loans and securities) and liabilities (such as deposits).
—Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2023
The results, plotted on the monitors next door, looked a bit like old-fashioned sing-alongs: follow the bouncing ball.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
However The Reporter Wants To Communicate While email is my primary means of starting a relationship with a reporter, that relationship can move to Twitter, text or an old-fashioned phone call.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The shift to digital payments also accelerated during the pandemic, leading stores to replace old-fashioned cash tip jars with tablet touch screens.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 25 Mar. 2023
Director Michael Wainstein has cast his show with faces that radiate optimism in the best old-fashioned musical style.
—Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2023
Also called Butterfly roses, Mutabilis is just one of the tough modern and old-fashioned roses.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2023
Instead of an old-fashioned announcement or an Instagram post, however, the pair chose to reveal the news in true pop star style.
—Alberto Sisí Sánchez, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2023
The menu is huge and offers everything from butter horns to cheese fondue to old-fashioned pressure cooker fried chicken.
—Jevensen, oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'old-fashioned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Old-fashioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old-fashioned. Accessed 22 May. 2024.
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