Synonyms for old
oʊldold

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. oldadjective

   Tiresome.

   Your constant pestering is getting old.

   Synonyms:
   ancient, long in the tooth, obsolete, erstwhile, antiquated, ex-, one-time, aged, of age, former, past

2. oldadjective

   Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.

   Synonyms:
   ex-, aged, obsolete, long in the tooth, antiquated, of age, one-time, former, ancient, erstwhile, past

3. oldadjective

   A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive.

   We're having a good old time.

   Synonyms:
   long in the tooth, erstwhile, ex-, former, past, of age, ancient, one-time, aged, antiquated, obsolete

4. oldadjective

   Synonyms:
   elderly, ageing, long in the tooth, aged, aging

   Antonyms:
   young

5. oldadjective

   Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.

   Synonyms:
   antiquated, aged, one-time, ancient, long in the tooth, former, of age, obsolete, ex-, erstwhile, past

6. oldadjective

   Of a living being, having lived for most of the expected years.

   a wrinkled old man

   Synonyms:
   long in the tooth, one-time, obsolete, former, ancient, of age, erstwhile, ex-, past, antiquated, aged

7. oldadjective

   Of a perishable item, having existed for most, or more than its shelf life.

   An old loaf of bread.

   Synonyms:
   erstwhile, ex-, one-time, aged, ancient, past, obsolete, antiquated, of age, long in the tooth, former

8. oldadjective

   Of an item that has been used and so is not new .

   I find that an old toothbrush is good to clean the keyboard with.

   Synonyms:
   antiquated, of age, former, aged, erstwhile, ancient, one-time, long in the tooth, ex-, obsolete, past

9. oldadjective

   Having existed or lived for the specified time.

   Synonyms:
   ancient, aged, obsolete, past, long in the tooth, erstwhile, one-time, ex-, former, antiquated, of age

   Antonyms:
   brand new, new, fresh

10. oldadjective

    Former, previous.

    Synonyms:
    past, antiquated, ancient, one-time, long in the tooth, erstwhile, former, of age, ex-, aged, obsolete

    Antonyms:
    new, current, latest

11. oldadjective

    That is no longer in existence.

    The footpath follows the route of an old railway line.

    Synonyms:
    antiquated, past, erstwhile, ex-, ancient, long in the tooth, aged, of age, one-time, former, obsolete

12. oldadjective

    Obsolete; out-of-date.

    That is the old way of doing things; now we do it this way.

    Synonyms:
    past, erstwhile, ancient, antiquated, one-time, long in the tooth, former, ex-, aged, of age, obsolete

13. oldadjective

    Familiar.

    When he got drunk and quarrelsome they just gave him the old heave-ho.

    Synonyms:
    aged, long in the tooth, past, of age, obsolete, erstwhile, former, one-time, ex-, ancient, antiquated

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. old

   That is termed old which has existed long, or which existed long ago. Ancient, from the Latin, through the French, is the more stately, old, from the Saxon, the more familiar word. Familiarity, on one side, is near to contempt; thus we say, an old coat, an old hat. On the other hand, familiarity is akin to tenderness, and thus old is a word of endearment; as, "the old homestead," the "old oaken bucket." "Tell me the old, old story!" has been sung feelingly by millions; "tell me that ancient story" would remove it out of all touch of human sympathy. Olden is a statelier form of old, and is applied almost exclusively to time, not to places, buildings, persons, etc. As regards periods of time, the familiar are also the near; thus, the old times are not too far away for familiar thought and reference; the olden times are more remote, ancient times still further removed. Gray, hoary, and moldering refer to outward and visible tokens of age. Aged applies chiefly to long-extended human life. Decrepit, gray, and hoary refer to the effects of age on the body exclusively; senile upon the mind also; as, a decrepit frame, senile garrulousness. One may be aged and neither decrepit nor senile. Elderly is applied to those who have passed middle life, but scarcely reached old age. Remote (Latin re, back or away, and moveo, move), primarily refers to space, but is extended to that which is far off in time; as, at some remote period. Venerable expresses the involuntary reverence that we yield to the majestic and long-enduring, whether in the material world or in human life and character. Compare ANTIQUE; OBSOLETE; PRIMEVAL.

   Compare synonyms for NEW; YOUTHFUL.

   Synonyms:
   aged, ancient, antiquated, antique, decrepit, elderly, gray, hoary, immemorial, olden, patriarchal, remote, senile, time-honored, time-worn, venerable

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. old

   Synonyms:
   aged, pristine, long-standing, ancient, preceding, antiquated, obsolete, senile antique

   Antonyms:
   youthful, young, recent, fresh, modern, subsequent, newfashioned, current

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. oldadjective

   past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')

   Antonyms:
   adolescent, three-year-old, sunrise(a), counterfeit, preteen, infantile, refreshing, immature, schoolgirlish, childlike, youngish, boyish, inexperient, parvenu, brand-new, revolutionary, succeeding(a), recent, hot, preadolescent, untested, novel, unused, teen, future, spic-and-span, puppyish, radical, teenage, tender, junior, puppylike, virgin, schoolboyish, childly, teenaged, young, unfamiliar, newfound, one-year-old, newborn, middle, new-sprung(a), two-year-old, imitative, four-year-old, present(a), red-hot, five-year-old, small, untried, youthful, boylike, bran-new, little, fresh, girlish, early, new, spick-and-span, vernal, rising, late, parvenue, inexperienced

2. oldadjective

   (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

   "his mother is very old"; "a ripe old age"; "how old are you?"

   Synonyms:
   erstwhile(a), onetime(a), honest-to-god, former(a), sometime(a), sure-enough(a), one-time(a), older, honest-to-goodness, old(a), previous(a), quondam(a)

   Antonyms:
   revolutionary, adolescent, untested, unused, new-sprung(a), newfound, future, preteen, schoolboyish, teenaged, brand-new, present(a), fresh, parvenu, young, puppyish, schoolgirlish, puppylike, newborn, rising, immature, boylike, inexperient, infantile, five-year-old, late, two-year-old, teenage, four-year-old, girlish, youngish, succeeding(a), inexperienced, new, preadolescent, three-year-old, bran-new, sunrise(a), teen, red-hot, boyish, untried, childlike, imitative, radical, hot, middle, recent, counterfeit, unfamiliar, virgin, little, vernal, tender, spick-and-span, refreshing, junior, one-year-old, early, small, youthful, novel, parvenue, spic-and-span, childly

3. oldadjective

   of long duration; not new

   "old tradition"; "old house"; "old wine"; "old country"; "old friendships"; "old money"

   Synonyms:
   erstwhile(a), onetime(a), honest-to-god, former(a), sometime(a), sure-enough(a), one-time(a), older, honest-to-goodness, old(a), previous(a), quondam(a)

   Antonyms:
   sunrise(a), junior, fresh, inexperient, imitative, little, brand-new, adolescent, childly, spic-and-span, inexperienced, tender, teen, girlish, late, teenage, early, untried, youthful, preteen, young, hot, unused, untested, preadolescent, rising, spick-and-span, radical, four-year-old, puppylike, present(a), teenaged, schoolgirlish, red-hot, schoolboyish, recent, bran-new, newborn, middle, boyish, counterfeit, two-year-old, parvenu, new, three-year-old, revolutionary, childlike, novel, future, succeeding(a), five-year-old, one-year-old, immature, parvenue, puppyish, newfound, infantile, virgin, boylike, small, youngish, vernal, new-sprung(a), unfamiliar, refreshing

4. old(a)adjective

   (used for emphasis) very familiar

   "good old boy"; "same old story"

   Antonyms:
   sunrise(a), childly, five-year-old, newfound, schoolgirlish, junior, hot, one-year-old, unfamiliar, imitative, succeeding(a), untested, four-year-old, revolutionary, young, teen, newborn, rising, teenage, parvenu, youthful, future, late, three-year-old, teenaged, schoolboyish, inexperienced, recent, inexperient, counterfeit, preteen, new-sprung(a), preadolescent, brand-new, boylike, puppylike, immature, virgin, early, red-hot, puppyish, radical, untried, girlish, bran-new, adolescent, present(a), new, infantile, vernal, spick-and-span, boyish, novel, childlike, tender, youngish, refreshing, parvenue, fresh, small, spic-and-span, two-year-old, middle, little, unused

5. old, olderadjective

   skilled through long experience

   "an old offender"; "the older soldiers"

   Synonyms:
   quondam(a), elder, previous(a), senior, older, sr., old(a), former(a), one-time(a), honest-to-god, erstwhile(a), honest-to-goodness, onetime(a), aged, sure-enough(a), sometime(a), elderly

   Antonyms:
   small, bran-new, preadolescent, immature, childlike, imitative, teen, new-sprung(a), fresh, sunrise(a), newfound, three-year-old, future, revolutionary, novel, parvenue, brand-new, youthful, inexperienced, newborn, infantile, new, adolescent, present(a), middle, schoolgirlish, hot, untested, boyish, five-year-old, unused, late, childly, spic-and-span, refreshing, parvenu, boylike, vernal, inexperient, puppylike, radical, four-year-old, spick-and-span, recent, untried, junior, succeeding(a), rising, red-hot, teenaged, counterfeit, tender, two-year-old, unfamiliar, early, schoolboyish, preteen, young, teenage, girlish, virgin, youngish, little, one-year-old, puppyish

6. erstwhile(a), former(a), old, onetime(a), one-time(a), quondam(a), sometime(a)adjective

   belonging to some prior time

   "erstwhile friend"; "our former glory"; "the once capital of the state"; "her quondam lover"

   Antonyms:
   young, recent, parvenue, schoolboyish, puppylike, preteen, preadolescent, adolescent, hot, unfamiliar, puppyish, parvenu, five-year-old, tender, teen, little, unused, novel, rising, succeeding(a), future, inexperienced, vernal, sunrise(a), bran-new, teenage, schoolgirlish, newborn, boyish, junior, three-year-old, refreshing, fresh, counterfeit, middle, childly, revolutionary, four-year-old, boylike, virgin, untested, spick-and-span, two-year-old, youthful, early, one-year-old, red-hot, spic-and-span, new, inexperient, small, new-sprung(a), radical, untried, childlike, teenaged, youngish, infantile, present(a), newfound, brand-new, imitative, girlish, immature, late

7. honest-to-god, honest-to-goodness, old(a), sure-enough(a)adjective

   (used informally especially for emphasis)

   "a real honest-to-god live cowboy"; "had us a high old time"; "went upriver to look at a sure-enough fish wheel"

   Antonyms:
   newborn, spick-and-span, rising, two-year-old, early, youthful, fresh, red-hot, untried, childlike, recent, virgin, bran-new, brand-new, new, infantile, late, refreshing, parvenu, schoolboyish, spic-and-span, adolescent, sunrise(a), teen, boyish, hot, newfound, unused, untested, three-year-old, vernal, childly, one-year-old, boylike, young, counterfeit, present(a), girlish, unfamiliar, new-sprung(a), teenaged, future, novel, immature, preteen, youngish, preadolescent, puppyish, little, imitative, four-year-old, five-year-old, succeeding(a), middle, teenage, radical, schoolgirlish, junior, puppylike, small, parvenue, tender, inexperient, revolutionary, inexperienced

8. Oldadjective

   of a very early stage in development

   "Old English is also called Anglo Saxon"; "Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century"

   Synonyms:
   erstwhile(a), onetime(a), honest-to-god, former(a), sometime(a), sure-enough(a), one-time(a), older, honest-to-goodness, old(a), previous(a), quondam(a)

   Antonyms:
   refreshing, five-year-old, novel, inexperient, puppylike, little, immature, untested, young, one-year-old, new-sprung(a), untried, virgin, newfound, teenaged, teen, two-year-old, schoolboyish, four-year-old, rising, childly, spic-and-span, three-year-old, newborn, junior, puppyish, counterfeit, brand-new, present(a), hot, middle, red-hot, bran-new, vernal, adolescent, schoolgirlish, late, sunrise(a), preadolescent, succeeding(a), infantile, recent, imitative, unused, revolutionary, teenage, new, childlike, youthful, spick-and-span, boylike, fresh, small, inexperienced, youngish, parvenue, tender, early, girlish, radical, boyish, unfamiliar, preteen, future, parvenu

9. previous(a), oldadjective

   just preceding something else in time or order

   "the previous owner"; "my old house was larger"

   Antonyms:
   preadolescent, untried, unfamiliar, virgin, counterfeit, present(a), newborn, childlike, newfound, future, recent, young, spick-and-span, preteen, one-year-old, schoolgirlish, new-sprung(a), girlish, early, unused, schoolboyish, small, infantile, refreshing, tender, immature, inexperient, succeeding(a), rising, puppylike, spic-and-span, red-hot, adolescent, four-year-old, teenage, hot, untested, vernal, three-year-old, middle, radical, teenaged, boylike, teen, little, late, brand-new, boyish, bran-new, imitative, parvenue, youthful, puppyish, fresh, sunrise(a), junior, parvenu, five-year-old, two-year-old, youngish, childly, new, novel, revolutionary, inexperienced

Matched Categories

1. • Linguistics

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. anceint

   Submitted by hi boy on August 19, 2019  

2. erstwhile(a)

   Submitted by anonymous on February 24, 2020  

3. incipit

   Submitted by anonymous on January 12, 2020  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. oldadjective

   Synonyms:
   aged, elderly, not young, of advanced age, advanced in years

2. oldadjective

   Synonyms:
   ancient, antique, antiquated, old-fashioned, olden, not modern

3. oldadjective

   Synonyms:
   of long date, not new

4. oldadjective

   Synonyms:
   going to decay, worn out

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. oldadjective

   Synonyms:
   aged, elderly, senescent, decrepit, venerable, patriarchal, superannuated, senile, former, pre-existing, preceding, ancient, archaic, antique, antiquated, olden, time-honored, traditional, immemorial, primitive, primordial, primeval, pristine, fossil, dilapidated, decayed, effete, practiced, veteran, experienced, sensible, astute, shrewd, sagacious

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "old":

   ancient, former, age, antigua, elderly, vecchi, vieux, alt, old-growth, older, long-standing, viejo, age-old, previous, man, dude, old-fashioned, longtime, buddy, governed, obsolete, veteran, outdated, old-style, longstanding, vecchio, bro, elders, mate, stará, antique, past, long-time, old-timer, old-type, anciens, erstwhile, legacy, ancien, elder, dilapidated

Suggested Resources

1. old

   Song lyrics by old -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by old on the Lyrics.com website.

2. OLD

   What does OLD stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the OLD acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce old?

How to say old in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. 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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use old in a sentence?

1. Heinz Lieven:

   When Hitler came to power I was four years old and when he was at his end( I was) 17... which means I know these times, the incredible murdering, younger people have to learn, have to know it.

2. Kevin Williamson:

   At 44 years old, I wasn’t excited about that and neither was my wife, she did a lot of research, and we found out that several doctors in the U.S. do what’s called a neobladder.

3. James Reese:

   It looks like a good old boys' network.

4. Philip Donoghue:

   It’s just at this interface between the Old World and the New World.

5. Elena Haikova:

   We have two pups, one of whom is two months old, the other is six months old.