Old meaning

What does “old” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.

“old” is a noun and adjective with 9 meanings. Its most common meaning is: past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old').

old

(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”
Oppositesyoung
of long duration; not new
“old tradition”
“old house”
Oppositesnew
(used for emphasis) very familiar
“good old boy”
“same old story”
skilled through long experience
“an old offender”
“the older soldiers”
Synonymsolder
belonging to some prior time
“erstwhile friend”
“our former glory”
Synonymserstwhile former onetime one-time quondam sometime
very good
“he did a bully job”
“a neat sports car”
Synonymsbang-up bully corking cracking dandy great groovy keen
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”
just preceding something else in time or order
“the previous owner”
“my old house was larger”
Synonymsprevious

Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University