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as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest even the most stirring speeches start to get old after you've heard them a few times

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

old

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noun

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an old woman
an elderly woman
an octogenarian woman
a senior woman
a grandmotherly woman
an elder woman
an old house
an outdated house
an obsolete house
a previous house
a former house
an earlier house
old days
ancient days
archaic days
long-past days
in-those days
simpler days
an old town
a historic town
a classic town
a historical town
an ancient town
an old friend
a longtime friend
a past friend
a familiar friend
a longstanding friend
a previous friend

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective old differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of old are ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, obsolete, and venerable. While all these words mean "having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past," old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses
an old sweater of mine

When can ancient be used instead of old?

While in some cases nearly identical to old, ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

When might antiquated be a better fit than old?

In some situations, the words antiquated and old are roughly equivalent. However, antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

When would antique be a good substitute for old?

The meanings of antique and old largely overlap; however, antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

When is archaic a more appropriate choice than old?

While the synonyms archaic and old are close in meaning, archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

In what contexts can obsolete take the place of old?

The words obsolete and old are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence.

a computer that makes earlier models obsolete

When is it sensible to use venerable instead of old?

The words venerable and old can be used in similar contexts, but venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of old
Adjective
On the day of the shooting, Nixon-Clark was 16 years and 9 months old, just shy of reaching legal status as an adult. Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Jan. 2025 South Korea’s oldest conglomerate, the 128-year-old Doosan Group, listed its collaborative robots unit Doosan Robotics last year. John Kang, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
The new season will see a fresh cast of three-to-five year olds spotlighted. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2024 The program starts in Green Bay’s Head Start program, meant for 3- to 4-year olds. Nadia Scharf, Journal Sentinel, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for old 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old
Adjective
  • Designed with geometric forms that evoke the pyramids in the backdrop, the museum invites visitors to journey through ancient Egypt’s 3,000-year history, starting with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 B.C. and ending with the Roman conquest in 30 B.C.
    Kate McMahon, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Historians have argued that similar helmets were worn by ancient warriors of many Greek city-states.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Monday’s event featured former Jets, some of them returning to the team’s facility for the first time in decades, there to see Aaron Glenn.
    Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 28 Jan. 2025
  • In 2019, two former Syrian military officers who had worked at Al-Khatib were arrested in Germany and tried for murdering dozens of detainees.
    Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The entire family is outraged, but Peter insists that the film is slow, boring and essentially, overrated.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Recently, Jennifer Lopez has been a big fan of natural manicures, which are anything but boring.
    Lea Hüttinger, Glamour, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Evidence for the antiquity of the country came in the early 1820s, when America’s first professional geologists found trilobites spilling out of the banks of the new Erie Canal.
    Caroline Winterer / Made by History, TIME, 14 Jan. 2025
  • Derived from buildings of Roman and Greek antiquity, Classical Revival houses include Greek Revival and Roman Revival styles and draw on common elements such as columns, pediments, and a strong sense of rigor and balance.
    Lauren Gallow, Architectural Digest, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Puente was eventually taken into custody after an elderly man at a Los Angeles bar struck up a conversation with her and soon recognized her from the news.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
  • America’s elderly prison population is rising, partly because of more people serving long sentences for violent crimes.
    Sarah Kliff, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • As Black pitchers are modestly represented in the venerable plaque gallery, most of their enshrinements have come through various iterations of the Veterans Committee and two Special Committees on the Negro Leagues.
    Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Haunted Mansion at 50: Decades of delays and distractions nearly derailed Disneyland’s venerable dark ride The old Black Widow Bride, known as Constance Hatchway, showed up in wedding portraits with a series of husbands who lost their heads in the Haunted Mansion attic scene.
    Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But beloved rapper and reality star Flavor Flav wasn’t the only one urging followers to support Meester’s erstwhile pop career.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The founder of JetBlue Airways gives the carrier’s erstwhile merger target some unsolicited advice.
    Melvin Backman, Quartz, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • There are no more stupid questions and an open, supportive, and curious culture evolves.
    Darpan Munjal, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • So if someone is crazy slash stupid enough to do that.
    Outside Online, Outside Online, 16 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near old

Cite this Entry

“Old.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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