old

Meaning

Adj

1. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
2. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
3. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
4. Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time.
5. Having been used and thus no longer new or unused.
6. Having existed or lived for the specified time.
7. Of an earlier time.
8. Of an earlier time.
9. Of an earlier time.
10. Of an earlier time.
11. (UK) Of an earlier time.
12. Tiresome after prolonged repetition.
13. Said of subdued colors, particularly reds, pinks and oranges, as if they had faded over time.
14. A grammatical intensifier, often used in describing something positive, and combined with another adjective.
15. (informal) Indicating affection and familiarity.
16. Designed for a mature audience; unsuitable for children below a certain age.
17. (obsolete) Excessive, abundant.

Noun

1. (countable, invariable, plural, plural-only, uncountable) People who are old; old beings; the older generation, taken as a group.
2. (countable, slang, uncountable) A person older than oneself, especially an adult in relation to a teenager.
3. (countable, slang, uncountable) One's parents.
4. (Australia, uncountable) A typically dark-coloured lager brewed by the traditional top-fermentation method.

Opposite of

new

Synonyms

ancient

aged

elderly

former

worn out

antique

decayed

decrepit

previous

used

antiquated

worn

outdated

experienced

great

old-fashioned

stale

dilapidated

past

long

archaic

elder

obsolete

senile

tough

old person

older

of long standing

rotten

age

not new

coarse

not tender

bygone

ragged

withered

big

outmoded

olden

infirm

old-time

venerable

mature

no good

🙅

superannuated

sometime

large

adult

🧑

senior

spoiled

Translations

vieux

🧓

alt

🧓

viejo

🧓

vecchio

🧓

ancien

🧓

oud

🧓

velho

🧓

antiguo

🧓

vell

🧓

antico

vetus

🧓

âgé

🧓

vieja

eski

🧓

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈəʊld/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: olde

Inherited from Old English: ald

Cognate with Scots: auld

Cognate with Northern Frisian: ool

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: oold

Cognate with Western Frisian: âld

Cognate with Dutch: oud

Cognate with Low German: old

Cognate with German: alt

Cognate with Swedish: äldre

Cognate with Icelandic: eldri

Cognate with Latin: altus

In summary

Inherited from Middle English old, oold, from Old English ald, eald (“old, aged, ancient, antique, primeval”), from Proto-West Germanic *ald, from Proto-Germanic *aldaz (“grown-up”), originally a participle form, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós (“grown, tall, big”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots aald, auld (“old”), Yola yola, yolaw, yold, yole (“old”), North Frisian ool, ual, üülj (“old”), Saterland Frisian oold (“old”), West Frisian âld (“old”), Alemannic German altu, oalt, oalts, olt, àltà (“old”), Bavarian oid (“old”), Central Franconian alt, aod, auw, oot (“old”), Cimbrian, German alt (“old”), Dutch oud, oudt (“old”), German Low German old, oolt (“old”), Luxembourgish al (“old”), Mòcheno òlt (“old”), Vilamovian aołd (“old”), Yiddish אַלט (alt, “old”), Danish ældre (“elderly”), Faroese eldri (“elder, older”), Icelandic aldinn (“old”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk eldre (“elderly”), Swedish äldre (“elderly”), Crimean Gothic alt (“old”), Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 (alþeis, “old”), Latin altus (“high, tall, grown big, lofty”). Related to eld.

Sentences

How old are you ?

The old man knew how to read , and had already read the book .

The old man returned the book to the boy .

He was such a jolly old bloke .

Robert Soto has been dancing since he was eight years old .

The jolliest old woman !