old (əʊld
)
Definitions
adjective
- having lived or existed for a relatively long time ⇒
an old man
an old tradition
old wine
an old house
an old country
- of or relating to advanced years or a long life ⇒
old age
- ((as collective noun; preceded by ( preceded by the) ⇒
the old
- See old and young
- of or relating to advanced years or a long life ⇒
- decrepit or senile
- worn with age or use ⇒
old clothes
an old car
- (postpositive) having lived or existed for a specified period ⇒
a child who is six years old
- ((in combination) ⇒
a six-year-old child
- ((as noun in combination) ⇒
a six-year-old
- (postpositive) having lived or existed for a specified period ⇒
- (capital when part of a name or title) earlier or earliest of two or more things with the same name ⇒
the old edition
the Old Testament
old Norwich
- (capital when part of a name) designating the form of a language in which the earliest known records are written ⇒
Old English
- (prenominal) familiar through long acquaintance or repetition ⇒
an old friend
an old excuse
- practised; hardened ⇒
old in cunning
- (prenominal) good cherished; dear: used as a term of affection or familiarity ⇒
good old George
- informal (with any of several nouns) used as a familiar form of address to a person ⇒
old thing
old bean
old stick
old fellow
- skilled through long experience (esp in the phrase an old hand)
- out-of-date; unfashionable
- remote or distant in origin or time of origin ⇒
an old culture
- (prenominal) former; previous ⇒
my old house was small
- (prenominal) established for a relatively long time ⇒
an old member
- ((in combination) ⇒
old-established
- (prenominal) established for a relatively long time ⇒
- sensible, wise, or mature ⇒
old beyond one's years
- (of a river, valley, or land surface) in the final stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by flat extensive flood plains and minimum relief See also youthful (sense 4) , mature (sense 6)
- (intensifier) (esp in phrases such as a good old time, any old thing, any old how, etc)
- (of crops) harvested late
- See good old days
- See little old
- See the old one
noun
- an earlier or past time (esp in the phrase of old) ⇒
in days of old
Alternative Forms
ˈoldish adjective ˈoldness nounWord Origin
Old English eald; related to Old Saxon ald, Old High German, German alt, Latin altus highSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
aged,
elderly,
ancient,
getting on,
grey,
mature,
past it,
venerable,
patriarchal,
grey-haired,
antiquated,
over the hill,
senile,
grizzled,
decrepit,
hoary,
senescent,
advanced in years,
full of years past your prime
=
tumbledown,
ruined,
crumbling,
decayed,
shaky,
disintegrating,
worn-out,
done,
tottering,
ramshackle,
rickety,
decrepit,
falling to pieces
=
out of date,
old-fashioned,
dated,
passé,
antique,
outdated,
obsolete,
archaic,
unfashionable,
antiquated,
outmoded,
behind the times
superannuated,
out of style
antediluvian,
unhip,
out of the ark,
démodé,
=
long-standing,
established,
fixed,
enduring,
abiding,
long-lasting,
long-established
time-honoured,
=
early,
ancient,
original,
remote,
of old
antique,
aboriginal,
primitive,
archaic,
gone by,
bygone,
undeveloped,
primordial,
primeval,
immemorial,
of yore
olden,
pristine,
=
stale,
common,
commonplace,
worn-out,
banal,
threadbare,
trite,
old hat,
insipid,
hackneyed,
overused,
repetitious,
unoriginal,
platitudinous,
cliché-ridden
timeworn,
= long-established
seasoned,
experienced,
tried,
tested,
trained,
professional,
skilled,
expert,
master,
qualified,
familiar,
capable,
veteran,
practised,
accomplished,
vintage,
versed,
hardened,
competent,
skilful,
adept,
knowledgeable,
age-old,
of long standing
well-versed,
=
customary,
established,
traditional,
conventional,
historic,
long-established
time-honoured,
of long standing
Quotations
"No man is ever so old but he thinks he can live another year"
"There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle"
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks"
Translations
- British English:
old
An old person is someone who has lived for a long time.An old lady sat next to me.əʊld ADJECTIVE An old lady sat next to me.
- Spanish:
viejo
adj vieja
- French:
vieux
adj vieille
- German:
alt
adj
- Chinese: 老的 adj
- Arabic: عَجُوزٌ adj
- Portuguese: velho adj velha
- Russian: старый adj старая
- Croatian: star adj stara
- Czech: starý adj
- Danish: gammel adj
- Dutch: oud adj
- Finnish: vanha adj
- Greek: παλιός adj παλιά
- Italian: vecchio adj vecchia
- Japanese: 年取った no_posp
- Korean: 나이든 adj
- Norwegian: gammel adj
- Polish: stary adj stara
- Brazilian Portuguese: velho adj velha
- European Spanish:
viejo
adj vieja
- Swedish: gammal adj gammalt
- Thai: แก่ adj
- Turkish: yaşlı adj
- Vietnamese: già adj
Usage examples
Once again there was that old photo of Jarawa, like some icon I was seeing everywhere.
, THE EXECUTION (2002)On old , congested bushes, take out some of the oldest stems at ground level.
Country Life (2004)Many of those same politicians are still pushing the old agenda, still telling people not to vote for Sinn Féin.
Irish Times (2002)She tells us she did receive a proper education, but she doesn't look old enough to have gone to a state selective school.
Glasgow Herald (2001)De Lugo advised readers to take the cure under doctors ' orders, but most people just dosed themselves any old way.
, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)