adj., old·er, old·est.

1. 1. Having lived or existed for a relatively long time; far advanced in years or life.
   2. Relatively advanced in age: Pamela is our oldest child.
2. Made long ago; in existence for many years: an old book.
3. Of or relating to a long life or to people who have had long lives: a ripe old age.
4. Having or exhibiting the physical characteristics of age: a prematurely old face.
5. Having or exhibiting the wisdom of age; mature: a child who is old for his years.
6. Having lived or existed for a specified length of time: She was 12 years old.
7. 1. Belonging to a remote or former period in history; ancient: old fossils.
   2. Belonging to or being of an earlier time: her old classmates.
8. often Old Being the earlier or earliest of two or more related objects, stages, versions, or periods.
9. Geology.
   1. Having become slower in flow and less vigorous in action. Used of a river.
   2. Having become simpler in form and of lower relief. Used of a landform.
10. Exhibiting the effects of time or long use; worn: an old coat.
11. Known through long acquaintance; long familiar: an old friend.
12. Skilled or able through long experience; practiced.
13. often ol' (ōl)
    1. Used as an intensive: Come back any old time. Don't give me any ol' excuse.
    2. Used to express affection or familiarity: Good ol' Sam.

n.

1. An individual of a specified age: a five-year-old.
2. Old people considered as a group. Used with the: caring for the old.
3. Former times; yore: in days of old.

[Middle English, from Old English eald.]

oldness old'ness n.

SYNONYMS  old, ancient, archaic, antediluvian, antique, antiquated. These adjectives describe what belongs to or dates from an earlier time or period. Old is the most general term: old lace; an old saying. Ancient pertains to the distant past: “the hills,/Rock-ribbed, and ancient as the sun” (William Cullen Bryant). Archaic implies a very remote, often primitive period: an archaic Greek bronze of the seventh century B.C. Antediluvian applies to what is extremely outdated: “a branch of one of your antediluvian families” (William Congreve). Antique is applied to what is especially appreciated or valued because of its age: antique furniture; an antique vase. Antiquated describes what is out of date, no longer fashionable, or discredited: “No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern. No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated” (Ellen Glasgow).

USAGE NOTE   Old is the bluntest of the adjectives most commonly used in referring to advanced or advancing age. It generally suggests at least a degree of age-related infirmity, and for that reason it is often avoided in formal or polite speech. Many prefer elderly as a more neutral and respectful term, but it too can suggest frailty, especially in reference to individuals as opposed to a group or population. And while senior enjoys wide usage as both a noun and adjective in many civic or social contexts, it is often considered unpleasantly euphemistic in a phrase such as the senior couple living next door. • As a comparative form, older would logically seem to indicate greater age than old. Except when a direct comparison is being made, however, the opposite is generally true. The older man in the tweed jacket suggests a somewhat younger or more vigorous man than if one substitutes old or elderly. Where old expresses an absolute, an arrival at old age, older takes a more relative view of aging as a continuum—older, but not yet old. As such, older is more than just a euphemism for the blunter old, offering as it does a more precise term for someone between middle and advanced age. And unlike elderly, older does not particularly suggest frailness or infirmity, making it the natural choice in many situations. See Usage Notes at elder¹.

adjective

1. Existing or remaining in the same state for an indefinitely long time: abiding, continuing, durable, enduring, lasting, long-lasting, long-lived, long-standing, perdurable, perennial, permanent, persistent. See continue/stop/pause.
2. Far along in life or time: advanced, aged, elderly, senior. Idioms: gettingalongonin years. See new/old.
3. Belonging to, existing, or occurring in times long past: age-old, ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, archaic, hoary, olden, old-time, timeworn, venerable. Idioms: old as Methuselah, old as the hills. See new/old.
4. Having been such previously: erstwhile, former, late, once, onetime, past, previous, quondam, sometime, whilom. See precede/follow.
5. Of a style or method formerly in vogue: antiquated, antique, archaic, bygone, dated, dowdy, fusty, old-fashioned, old-time, outdated, outmoded, out-of-date, passé, vintage. See new/old.
6. Skilled or knowledgeable through long practice: experienced, practiced, seasoned, versed, veteran. Idioms: knowing the ropes. See ability/inability.

Idioms beginning with old:
old shoe
old as Adam
old chestnut
old college try, the
old story, an

See also any old; chip off the old block; comfortable as an old shoe; dirty joke (old man); get the air (old heave-ho); no fool like an old fool; of old; ripe old age; same old story; settle a score (old scores); stamping ground, old; teach an old dog new tricks; up to one's old tricks.

---

adj

Definition: advanced in age
Antonyms: fresh, new, young, youthful

adj

Definition: obsolete, outdated
Antonyms: contemporary, current, fresh, late, modern, new, recent, up-to-date

adj

Definition: traditional, long-established
Antonyms: contemporary, current, modern, new

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A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

adj.

In that stage of usefulness which is not inconsistent with general inefficiency, as an old man. Discredited by lapse of time and offensive to the popular taste, as an old book.

    "Old books?  The devil take them!" Goby said.
    "Fresh every day must be my books and bread."
    Nature herself approves the Goby rule
    And gives us every moment a fresh fool.
                                                           Harley Shum

---

IN BRIEF: Not young. Very familiar.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. — Douglas MacArthur

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - gammel, erfaren, sikker, dreven, old-
n. - gammel person, gamle tider

idioms:

• any old    hvilken som helst
• as old as the hills    så gammel som metusalem, ældgammel
• be an old hand at    være erfaren udi
• get old    blive gammel
• grow old    blive gammel
• in the old days    i de gamle dage
• old age    alderdom
• old age pension    folkepension
• old and young    ung som gammel
• old bag    gammel kælling
• old boy    tidligere elev, gamle ven
• old chestnut    gammel vittighed, gammel historie, ofte spillet musikstykke
• old flame    gammel flamme
• old fogey    konservativ, af den gamle skole
• old girl    lille pige!
• Old Glory    stjernebanneret (am.)
• old guard    originale medlemmer af et parti, et partis konservative medlemmer
• old lady    gammel dame
• old lag    vaneforbryder, recidivist
• old maid    pebermø, gammeljomfru
• old man    far
• old master    berømt maler fra en svunden tid
• Old Nick    fanden
• old people's home    alderdomshjem
• old school tie    skoleslips, overklassementalitet
• old soak    drukkenbolt, fyldebøtte, dranker
• Old Style    gammel stil, på gammeldags manér
• Old Testament    Det Gamle Testamente
• old wives' tale    gammel ammestuesnak
• old woman    gammel dame
• Old World    gamle verden, det land man kom fra (am.)
• old-boy network    sammenhold mellem tidligere elever
• the old    de gamle, det gamle
• the old country    hjemlandet

Nederlands (Dutch)
oud, antiek, ouderwets, ervaren, bejaard

Français (French)
adj. - vieux, âgé, ancien, mûr, classique (une histoire), sacré
n. - jadis, les personnes âgées, vieux, (au temps) jadis, d'antan

idioms:

• any old    n'importe comment
• as old as the hills    vieux comme le monde
• get old    vieillir, se faire vieux
• grow old    vieillir, se faire vieux
• of old    depuis longtemps
• old age    vieillesse, vieux jours
• old and young    jeunes et vieux
• old bag    vieille teigne
• old boy    (GB, École) ancien élève
• old chestnut    vieille histoire rabâchée, vieille blague usée
• old flame    ancien amour
• old girl    (GB, École) ancienne élève, (petite) vieille, (ma) vieille (arch)
• Old Glory    drapeau des Etats-Unis
• old guard    vieille garde
• old hand    vieux routier, vieux de la vieille, (Austral) qn depuis longtemps établie quelque part
• old lady    veille dame, bourgeoise (fam), (ma) maternelle ou vieille (fam)
• old lag    récidiviste, (GB) vieux routier
• old maid    vieille fille
• old man    vieil homme, vieillard, (mon) homme (un mari), (mon) paternel, (mon) vieux, le patron (fam)
• old master    maître (un artiste), tableau de maître
• Old Nick    le Malin, vieux malin
• old people's home    maison de retraite, hospice de vieillards
• old school tie    piston, (GB) cravate aux couleurs d'une école, (fig) copinage des anciens élèves
• old soak    sac à vin
• Old Style    d'après le calendrier julien
• Old Testament    Ancien testament
• old wives' tale    conte de bonne femme
• old woman    vieille femme, vieille
• Old World    L'Ancien Monde
• old-boy network    (GB) réseau des anciens élèves des écoles privées
• the old    les personnes âgées
• the old country    mère patrie
• the old days    autrefois, jadis

Deutsch (German)
adj. - alt
n. - frühere Zeiten

idioms:

• any old    irgendein
• as old as the hills    uralt
• get old    alt werden, langsam alt sein
• grow old    alt werden
• of old    einst, seit jeher
• old age    fortgeschrittenes Alter
• old and young    alt und jung
• old bag    alte Schlampe
• old boy    ehemaliger Schüler, Ehemaliger
• old chestnut    (ugs.) olle Kamelle
• old flame    alte Flamme
• old girl    ehemaliger Schülerin, Ehemalige
• Old Glory    das Sternenbanner, Flagge der USA
• old guard    alte Garde
• old hand    alter Hase
• old lady    ältere Dame
• old lag    alter Knastbruder
• old maid    alte Jungfer
• old man    alter Mann
• old master    alter Meister
• Old Nick    der Teufel
• old people's home    Altersheim
• old school tie    Krawatte mit den Farben der (Privat)schule, Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl, Konservativismus
• old soak    alter Säufer
• Old Style    Zeitrechnung nach dem Julianischen Kalender
• Old Testament    altes Testament
• old wives' tale    Altweibermärchen
• old woman    altes Weib, Alte
• Old World    die Alte Welt (Europa, Asien und Afrika)
• old-boy network    Verbindung von brit. Eliteschulabsolventen
• the old    alte Menschen
• the old country    das Heimatland
• the old days    früher

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - παλιός, παλαιός, μακροχρόνιος, έμπειρος, ηλικίας, που έχει ηλικία, ορισμένης ηλικίας, "χρονών", "ετών", πρώην, άλλοτε, τέως, γέρος, γερασμένος, παλιοκαιρίτικος, μπαγιάτικος, (μτφ.) πεπειραμένος
n. - (οι) γέροι

idioms:

• any old    οποιοσδήποτε
• as old as the hills    μαθουσάλας
• be an old hand at    είμαι πεπειραμένος σε
• get old    γερνώ, μεγαλώνω
• grow old    γερνώ, μεγαλώνω
• old and young    γέροι και νέοι, απαξάπαντες
• old boy    παλιός συμμαθητής, παλιόφιλος, καρντάσης, γέρος, γεράκος
• old flame    παλιά αμαρτία, παλιά αγάπη
• old fogey    μπαμπόγερος, υπερσυντηρητικός
• old girl    πρώην μαθήτρια, απόφοιτος, κυρά, σύζυγος
• Old Glory    (ΗΠΑ) η αστερόεσσα, η σημαία των ΗΠΑ
• old guard    η παλιά φρουρά
• old lady    συμβία, φιλενάδα, μητέρα
• old lag    παλιό κουμάσι
• old maid    γεροντοκόρη
• old man    γέρος, (θρησκ.) παλαιός άνθρωπος, (με οριστικό άρθρο) διοικητής, πατέρας, σύζυγος, προϊστάμενος, συμφοιτητής, αφεντικό
• old master    κλασικός ζωγράφος (ή κάποιο από τα έργα του)
• Old Nick    ο Σατανάς
• old school tie    γραβάτα με τα χρώματα σχολής, (Βρετ., καθομ.) υπερβολική προσήλωση στην παράδοση
• old soak    κρασοπατέρας
• Old Style    Ιουλιανό ημερολόγιο, παλιομοδίτικος
• Old Testament    η Παλαιά Διαθήκη
• old wives' tale    αφελές παραμύθι
• old woman    γριά, γερόντισσα, (μτφ.) συμβία, ιδιότροπος ή δειλός άνθρωπος, γεροπαράξενος
• Old World    ο παλαιός Κόσμος (Ευρώπη, Ασία και Αφρική)
• old-boy network    (Βρετ.) το κλειστό κύκλωμα των απόφοιτων ακριβών ιδιωτικών σχολείων
• the old    οι γέροι

Italiano (Italian)
vecchio, vetusto, antico

idioms:

• any old    qualsiasi
• as old as the hills    vetusto, vecchio come il cucco
• be an old hand at    essere esperto di
• in the old/olden days    una volta, ai bei tempi
• old age    terza età, vecchiaia
• old age pension    pensione
• old and young    vecchi e giovani
• old bat    vecchio balordo
• old boy/girl    ex-alunno, vecchio mio
• old flame    vecchia fiamma
• old fogey/fogy    persona all'antica
• Old Glory    bandiera americana
• old guard    vecchia guardia
• old hand    vecchio lupo
• old lady/man    vecchia/vecchio
• old lag    galeotto recidivo
• old maid    zitella
• old master    grande maestro
• Old Nick    il diavolo
• old people's home    casa di riposo
• old school tie    cravatta della scuola
• Old Style    secondo il calendario giuliano, vecchio stile
• Old Testament    Antico Testamento
• old wives' tale    superstizione
• old woman    moglie/mamma, vecchia
• Old World    vecchio mondo, Europa
• old-boy network    associazione a delinquere, fratellanza, massoneria, loggia
• the old    il vecchio
• the old country    il paese d'origine

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - velho, ancião
n. - tempo antigo

idioms:

• any old    qualquer coisa
• as old as the hills    velho como uma porta
• be an old hand at    ser traquejado em, conhecer bem
• get old    ficar velho
• grow old    ficar velho
• in the old/olden days    nos bons tempos
• old age    idade
• old age pension    aposentadoria por idade
• old and young    todo mundo
• old bat    velhote
• old boy/girl    velhinho
• old flame    namorada antiga
• old fogey/fogy    conservador
• Old Glory    a bandeira dos Estados Unidos
• old guard    dos antigos, da velha guarda
• old hand    conhecedor, experiente
• old lady/man    meu velho
• old lag    várias vezes sentenciado à prisão
• old maid    solteirona, pessoa pudica
• old master    grande mestre
• Old Nick    Satanás, Diabo
• old people's home    sanatório
• old school tie    vínculos escolares
• Old Style    cálculo do tempo segundo o calendário juliano
• Old Testament    Antigo Testamento
• old wives' tale    invencionice, fábula
• old woman    implicante, meticuloso
• Old World    o Velho Mundo
• old-boy network    amigos de antigamente
• the old    pessoas idosas
• the old country    país natal de imigrante

Русский (Russian)
старый, прежний, былой

idioms:

• any old    любой
• as old as the hills    глубокий старик
• be an old hand at    съесть собаку
• get old    стареть
• grow old    стареть
• in the old/olden days    в прежние времена
• old age    старость
• old age pension    пенсия по старости
• old and young    старики и молодежь
• old bat    старуха
• old boy/girl    выпускник, ласкательное
• old flame    старая любовь
• old fogey/fogy    отсталый
• Old Glory    флаг США
• old guard    старая гвардия
• old hand    мастер
• old lady/man    старуха/старик, мать/отец, жена/муж
• old lag    рецидивист
• old maid    старая дева
• old master    старый мастер, картина старого мастера
• Old Nick    дьявол
• old people's home    дом престарелых
• old school tie    дружба старых однокашников
• Old Style    старый стиль
• Old Testament    Ветхий завет
• old wives' tale    бабушкины сказки
• old woman    старуха, суетливый
• Old World    Старый Свет
• old-boy network    выпускники частных школ, сеть помогающих друг другу
• the old    пожилые люди
• the old country    родина откуда приехали отцы и деды

Español (Spanish)
adj. - viejo, anciano, mayor, antiguo, usado, añejo, conocido, veterano
n. - viejo, anciano, veterano, tiempo antiguo, antaño, antiguamente, mucho tiempo ha

idioms:

• any old    de cualquier manera, en cualquier momento
• as old as the hills    más viejo que Matusalén, más viejo que andar a pie
• get old    ponerse viejo
• grow old    envejecer
• of old    del pasado, durante mucho tiempo
• old age    vejez, ancianidad, senectud
• old and young    jóvenes y ancianos
• old bag    mujer de edad, poco atractiva
• old boy    antiguo alumno, ex-alumno
• old chestnut    chiste muy repetido, historia muy vieja
• old flame    un antiguo amor
• old girl    antigua alumna, ex-alumna
• Old Glory    bandera de los EE.UU.
• old guard    guardia vieja (los elementos más conservadores)
• old hand    zorro viejo, veterano, experto, colono
• old lady    esposa, media naranja, vieja, patrona, pariente
• old lag    reincidente
• old maid    solterona
• old man    esposo, media naranja, viejo, patrón, pariente
• old master    titán de la pintura, gran maestro
• Old Nick    Pedro Botero (el diablo)
• old people's home    asilo o residencia de ancianos, geriátrico
• old school tie    corbata de antiguo alumno de un colegio británico, conservadurismo
• old soak    un borracho perdido
• Old Style    estilo antiguo
• Old Testament    Antiguo Testamento
• old wives' tale    cuento de viejas, remedio casero
• old woman    vieja, maniático
• Old World    Viejo Mundo (Europa)
• old-boy network    preferencia de emplear a aquellos de un mismo fondo social, amiguismo (entre ex-alumnos de colegios de alta alcurnia)
• the old    los viejos, los ancianos
• the old country    madre patria, terruño
• the old days    en aquella época, en los viejos tiempos

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - gammal, använd, erfaren, f.d.
n. - fordom, förr i världen, i gamla tider

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
老的, 年长的, 旧的, 以前, 往昔

idioms:

• any old    任何一个
• as old as the hills    极古老地
• be an old hand at    擅长
• get old    上了年纪
• grow old    上了年纪, 变老
• in the old days    从前, 在年轻的日子
• old age    晚年
• old age pension    退休金, 养老金
• old and young    老老少少
• old bag    老女人, 老太婆
• old boy    毕业生, 老兄, 校友, 魔鬼
• old chestnut    陈腔滥调
• old flame    旧爱, 以前的老情人
• old fogey    非常守旧的人, 老顽固
• old girl    老太婆, 老伴
• Old Glory    星条旗
• old guard    守旧派, 保守派, 禁牢
• old lady    老妇人, 母亲
• old lag    长期监禁的囚犯
• old maid    老小姐, 老处女
• old man    老头子, 情人, 丈夫, 父亲
• old master    18世纪前欧洲的大画家及画
• Old Nick    妖魔, 撒旦
• old people's home    养老院
• old school tie    校友领带, 守旧标志
• Old Style    西洋旧历
• Old Testament    旧约圣经, 旧约全书
• old wives' tale    无稽之谈, 愚蠢的迷信
• old woman    老太婆
• Old World    旧世界, 东半球
• old-boy network    老同学关系网
• the old    老人
• the old country    祖国

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 老的, 年長的, 舊的
n. - 以前, 往昔

idioms:

• any old    任何一個
• as old as the hills    極古老地
• be an old hand at    擅長
• get old    上了年紀
• grow old    上了年紀, 變老
• in the old days    從前, 在年輕的日子
• old age    晚年
• old age pension    退休金, 養老金
• old and young    老老少少
• old bag    老女人, 老太婆
• old boy    畢業生, 老兄, 校友, 魔鬼
• old chestnut    陳腔濫調
• old flame    舊愛, 以前的老情人
• old fogey    非常守舊的人, 老頑固
• old girl    老太婆, 老伴
• Old Glory    星條旗
• old guard    守舊派, 保守派, 禁牢
• old lady    老婦人, 母親
• old lag    長期監禁的囚犯
• old maid    老小姐, 老處女
• old man    老頭子, 情人, 丈夫, 父親
• old master    18世紀前歐洲的大畫家及畫
• Old Nick    妖魔, 撒旦
• old people's home    養老院
• old school tie    校友領帶, 守舊標誌
• Old Style    西洋舊曆
• Old Testament    舊約聖經, 舊約全書
• old wives' tale    無稽之談, 愚蠢的迷信
• old woman    老太婆
• Old World    舊世界, 東半球
• old-boy network    老同學關係網
• the old    老人
• the old country    祖國

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 늙은, 교활한, 사려 깊은
n. - 옛날, ~살 난 사람

idioms:

• as old as the hills    매우 오래된
• be an old hand at    오래된 솜씨가 되다
• get old    늙다
• in the old days    말년에
• the old    노인들
• the old country    본국, 유럽

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 年とった, …歳で, 昔からの, 昔懐かしい, 古い, 以前の, 古代の, 老練な, こうかつな
n. - 昔

idioms:

• any old    どんな…でも
• as old as the hills    非常に古い
• be an old hand at    熟練者である
• for old times' sake    昔のよしみで, 良き昔の思い出に
• get old    年をとる
• of the old school    しきたりを守る, 高潔な
• old age    老年
• old age pension    老齢年金
• old and young    老いも若きも
• old bag    このばばあ
• old bat    このばばあ
• old boy/girl    卒業生, 男子卒業生, ねえ君
• old chestnut    古臭い話
• old faithful    オールドフェイスフル
• old favourite    昔人気の
• old flame    昔の恋人
• old fogey    時代遅れの人
• old fogey/fogy    時代遅れの人
• Old Glory    星条旗
• old guard    古老グループ, 保守派
• old hand    前科者, 熟練者, もと囚人
• old hat    時代遅れのもの, 時代遅れの, ありふれた
• old lady/man    年をとったご婦人, おふくろ, 妻
• old lag    時代遅れの
• old maid    オールドミス, 堅苦しい人
• old master    巨匠, 巨匠の作品
• Old Nick    悪魔
• old people's home    老人ホーム
• old school tie    母校のネクタイ, パブリックスクール出身者, 保守的態度
• old soak    大酒のみ
• Old Style    オールドスタイル
• old sweat    古つわもの
• Old Testament    旧約, 旧約聖書
• old wives' tale    ばかげた話, 迷信
• old woman    老婆, 女主人
• Old World    旧世界, 東半球
• open/reopen old sores    古傷にさわる
• the old    老人達
• the old country    祖国

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) عجوز, عتيق (الاسم) قديم, عمر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮ישן, זקן, קשיש, מבוגר, ותיק, עתיק, של העבר, בן-, משומש‬
n. - ‮קשיש, ותיק, מבוגר‬

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Old Microwave	old fashioned
Old West	old nick