old
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- senile, aged, ancient, decrepit, elderly, mature, venerable
- antique, antediluvian, antiquated, dated, obsolete, superannuated, timeworn
- former, earlier, erstwhile, one-time, previous

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Antonyms: new, modern, youthful
Contrasted words: contemporary, current, recent, advanced, newfound, brief, short-lived, casual, temporary, transitory, weak, newish, juvenile, young
Related Idioms: along in years, getting on
Related Words: constant, perpetual, staying, established, firm, solid, steady, primitive, traditional

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English Thesaurus: last, previous, former, old, final, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

old S1 W1 /əʊld $ oʊld/ adjective (comparative older, superlative oldest)
[Language: Old English; Origin: eald]

1. NOT NEW something that is old has existed or been used for a long time Antonym : new:
a pair of old shoes
Some of the houses around here are very old.
one of our oldest traditions
The car’s getting old now, and things are starting to go wrong with it.
That story’s as old as the hills (=extremely old).

2.
NOT YOUNG
a) someone who is old has lived for a very long time Antonym : young:
an old man
a home for old people
get/grow old
I can’t run around like I used to – I must be getting old.
b) the old [plural] people who are old:
the care of the old and sick

3. AGE used to talk about how long a person or thing has lived or existed
five/ten/fifty etc years old
I can’t believe you’re nearly forty years old!
a house that’s 300 years old
How old are you?
Are you older than Sally?
You’re old enough to get your own breakfast now.
I’m not coming skating. I’m too old for that now.
five-year-old/ten-year-old etc somebody/something
a six-week-old baby
a 500-year-old sword
somebody is old enough to know better (=used to say that you think someone should behave more sensibly)
somebody is old enough to be his/her/your mother/father (=used to say that someone is too old to be having a sexual relationship with someone else)

4. THAT YOU USED TO HAVE [only before noun] your old house, job, girlfriend etc is one that you used to have Synonym : former:
I met up with one of my old girlfriends at the weekend.
My old car was always breaking down.
That happened when we were still in the old house.
My old boss was awful!
old flame (=someone with whom you used to have a romantic relationship)

5. FAMILIAR [only before noun] old things are things that are familiar to you because you have seen them or experienced them many times before:
It’s good to get back into the old routine.
I enjoyed seeing all the old familiar faces.
He comes out with the same old excuses every time! ⇒ it’s the same old story at story(9)

6. VERY WELL KNOWN [only before noun] an old friend, enemy etc is someone you have known for a long time:
Bob’s an old friend of mine.
an old colleague
They’re old rivals.

7. the old days times in the past
in the old days
In the old days people used to fetch water from the pump.

8. the good old days/the bad old days an earlier time in your life, or in history, when things seemed better or worse than now:
We like to chat about the good old days.

9. be/feel/look like your old self to feel or look better again after you have been ill or very unhappy:
It’s good to see you looking more like your old self again.

10. any old thing/place/time etc spoken used to say that it does not matter which thing, place etc you choose:
Oh, just wear any old thing.
Phone any old time – I’m always here.

11. any old how/way spoken in an untidy or careless way:
The papers had been dumped on my desk any old how.

12. good/poor/silly old etc somebody spoken used to talk about someone you like:
Good old Keith!
You poor old thing!

13. a good old something (also a right old something British English) spoken used to talk about something you enjoy:
We had a good old talk.

14. old devil/rascal etc spoken used to talk about someone you like and admire:
You old devil! You were planning this all along!

15. old fool/bastard/bat etc spoken not polite used to talk very rudely about someone you do not like:
the stupid old cow

16. the old guard a group of people within an organization or club who do not like changes or new ideas:
He’ll never manage to persuade the old guard.

17. be an old hand (at something) to have a lot of experience of something:
I’m an old hand at this game.

18. be old before your time to look or behave like someone much older than you, especially because of difficulties in your life

19. for old times’ sake if you do something for old times’ sake, you do it to remind yourself of a happy time in the past

20. the old country especially American English the country that you were born in, but that you no longer live in, used especially to mean Europe

21. an old head on young shoulders British English a young person who seems to think and behave like an older person

22. pay/settle an old score to punish someone for something wrong that they did to you in the past

23. of/from the old school old-fashioned and believing in old ideas and customs:
a doctor of the old school

24. old wives’ tale a belief based on old ideas that are now considered to be untrue

25. of old literary from a long time ago in the past:
the knights of old

26. Old English/Old Icelandic etc an early form of English, Icelandic etc

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

old
adj.
I. age
VERBS be, feel, look, seem You are as old as you feel.
ADV. enough He's old enough by now to manage his own affairs.
PHRASES six months, ten years, etc. old

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

old
II. not young
VERBS be, feel, look, seem, sound The way the young people rushed about made her feel old. He was beginning to look old.
become, get, grow We're all getting older. As they grow older, they develop new interests.
ADV. extremely, terribly, very | fairly, quite She was quite old when she got married.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

old
III. not new
VERBS be
ADV. extremely, really, terribly, very It's a very old tradition.
fairly, quite
PHRASES oldest known These are some of the oldest known fossil remains.
oldest remaining It's one of the oldest remaining parts of the church.
oldest surviving It's the world's oldest surviving ship.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

old
IV. shows affection/lack of respect
PHRASES boring/silly old boring old history books She's a silly old cow!
dear/good old Good old Dad!
funny old It's a funny old world.
poor old You poor old thing!
same old always the same old faces

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

old

be 5/10/50 etc years old
My dad is 45 years old.
a five-year-old/fifteen-year-old etc somebody/something
a three-year-old boy
how old is …?
‘How old is your daughter?’ ‘She’s ten.’
be too old for something
He was too old for military service.
be old enough to do something
You’re old enough to help with the cooking.
somebody is old enough to know better (=used when you think someone should behave more sensibly)
He’s old enough to know better, but he went and did it anyway!
somebody is old enough to be sb’s mother/father (=used when you think that someone is much too old to be having a relationship with another person )
Why would she want to go out with someone who was old enough to be her father?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

old
adjective
1.
BAD: He is married to a twenty years old American girl.
GOOD: He is married to a twenty-year-old American girl.
BAD: Eight-years-old Sarah had a few surprises up her sleeve.
GOOD: Eight-year-old Sarah had a few surprises up her sleeve.

Usage Note:
Use years old after the verb be : 'Sarah is eight years old.'
In front of a noun, use a compound adjective (WITH two hyphens and a singular noun): 'a three-week-old baby', 'a ten-year-old daughter'
Nouns of measurement ('year', 'week', 'gram', 'mile' etc) are always singular when used in compound adjectives: 'a ten-second silence', 'a six-minute wait', 'a five-mile race'.

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2.
BAD: He fell in love with a young girl of nineteen years old.
GOOD: He fell in love with a young girl of nineteen.

Usage Note:
noun + of + number: 'a child of five', 'a man of sixty'
Compare: 'The girl was nineteen years old.'

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3.
BAD: The old should not be brushed aside by society.
GOOD: The elderly should not be brushed aside by society.

Usage Note:
To refer to old people in general, use the elderly : 'The building has been converted into a retirement home for the elderly.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

last most recent or nearest to the present time:
His last film was much better.
It rained all day last Saturday.
The last time I saw her was two years ago.
previous before this one, or before the one that you are talking about:
See the diagram in the previous chapter.
His previous records had all been jazz records.
How much were you earning in your previous job?
former [only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now:
the former Soviet Union
the former US president
Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level.
the former Chief Executive
old [only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one:
an old boyfriend
The old model was much slower.
final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc:
It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.
the final scene of the film
closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting:
the closing years of the twentieth century
Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way:
the concluding section of the report
the judge’s concluding remarks
penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one:
the penultimate chapter
continue to happen without stopping:
The good weather seems likely to continue.
Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.
Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.
The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
go on to continue, especially for a long time:
Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems:
The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want:
The meeting dragged on for another hour.
The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen:
See your doctor if the symptoms persist.
If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

old having lived for a long time:
an old man
I’m too old to learn a new language.
elderly a polite word for old:
an elderly lady
a home for the elderly (=elderly people)
If you are elderly, you may be eligible for financial assistance.
aging (also ageing British English) [only before noun] becoming old:
an ageing rock star
the problems of an ageing population
aged /ˈeɪdʒəd, ˈeɪdʒɪd/ [only before noun] written aged relatives are very old:
aged parents
She had to look after her aged aunt.
elder brother/sister especially British English [only before noun] an older brother or sister. Elder sounds more formal than older:
I have two elder brothers.
ancient [not usually before noun] informal very old – used humorously:
I’ll be 30 next year – it sounds really ancient!
be getting on (in years) informal to be fairly old:
He’s 60 now, so he’s getting on a bit.
be over the hill (also be past it British English) informal to be too old to do something:
Everyone thinks you’re past it when you get to 40.
geriatric [only before noun] relating to medical care and treatment for old people:
a geriatric hospital
geriatric patients
antique antique furniture, clocks, jewellery etc are old and often valuable:
an antique writing desk
age-old used about traditions, problems, or situations that have existed for a very long time:
the age-old tradition of morris dancing
the age-old prejudice against women in positions of power
the age-old problem of nationalism
age-old hatreds between religious groups

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

old:
an old car
an old Chinese saying
ancient very old – used about things that existed thousands of years ago, or things that look very old:
ancient civilisations
an ancient Rolls Royce
antique antique furniture, clocks, jewellery etc are old and often valuable:
an antique writing desk
age-old used about traditions, problems, or situations that have existed for a very long time:
the age-old tradition of morris dancing
the age-old prejudice against women in positions of power
the age-old problem of nationalism
age-old hatreds between religious groups

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

previous [only before noun] used when talking about a person, thing, time etc before the one that you are talking about now:
The car’s previous owner didn’t take very good care of it.
Please ignore my previous instructions.
The temperature is higher than in previous years.
last [only before noun] used when talking about the one that you had just before now, or the one that existed just before now:
The last apartment we lived in was much smaller than this one.
Ben’s last girlfriend was a teacher.
Beth broke up with her last boyfriend because he drank too much.
old [only before noun] used when talking about people you knew or things you had in the past, or about things that existed in the past and have been replaced by newer things:
I never liked my old boss.
I saw Phil with one of my old girlfriends.
The new stadium is much bigger than the old one.
He was my old maths teacher.
preceding [only before noun] formal coming just before the time or thing you have just mentioned, or before the part of a book where you are now:
There were fewer crimes compared to the preceding year.
The author dealt with this subject in the preceding chapters of the book.
In the preceding section of the poem, Whitman is talking about how important it is to live in the present.
former [only before noun] formal used to describe someone or something that used to have a particular job or position but does not any more:
her former husband
the former US President
Kyoto was the former capital of Japan.
ex-wife/boyfriend/soldier etc someone who used to be someone’s wife, used to be a soldier etc, but is not any more:
Her dad’s an ex-policeman.
Lydia is still friends with her ex-husband.
the one before the person or thing that existed before the one you have just mentioned:
I didn’t enjoy Spielberg’s last film but I thought the one before was all right.
Each year, the convention is a little larger than the one before.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

old
əuld
See: chip off the old block , comfortable as an old shoe , common as an old shoe , of old

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲