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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

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
The 22 and 21-year-olds are facing felony robbery charges, while the 23-year-old was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and a driving unlawfully, according to Sacramento County Sheriff Office jail logs. Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2025 The 48-year old said his 25 years in the business have helped shape his strategy. Michelle Fox, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Kirk is survived by his wife, the former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve, and their two children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son. Charna Flam, People.com, 11 Sep. 2025 This flies in the face of a decades-old stereotype that Stone Age women didn’t use stone tools as frequently as men. Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for old
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old
Adjective
  • Gunmen with the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, who have been fighting for control of Arcahaïe, reportedly stormed the village and opened fire on the population, killing women, children and elderly.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Authorities later confirmed that Zinn was an elderly local political agitator, not the suspect, according to the New York Post.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The norm is for ancient dugouts found in southern Florida to be linked to ancestors of the Calusa, the Seminole or the Miccosukee, according to the Florida Division of Historical Resources.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Scientists can analyze these ancient samples to infer ocean temperature, sea ice cover or levels of atmospheric gases at different moments across thousands of years.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The expiring boost, implemented in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act under former President Joe Biden, applies to 22 million of the 24 million low- and middle-income Americans with plans through the ACA marketplace.
    Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Frantzve was also a former beauty queen, having been crowned Miss Arizona USA in 2012.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Farming takes so long and is so boring, some of us said.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The Clark County Fire Department said that tunnel boring operations had been temporarily halted at the site pending an ongoing accident investigation.
    Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The more than 10,000 works in the museum’s permanent collection include Greek and Roman antiquities, pre-Columbian sculpture, and European and American prints, photographs, and paintings.
    Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Roman bathhouses – which functioned as important community spaces in antiquity – are still being discovered across Europe and Asia Minor today.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The state’s senior senator, Jack Reed, is 75 and running for reelection next year.
    Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Shaffi, a senior data architect at Amazon Web Services, is widely recognized for designing secure, large scale data infrastructures that power global enterprises.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
  • How does a venerable American brand known for creating the ultimate coffee experience tap into the innovative power of data and AI to create the next generation of customer service?
    Randy Bean, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • While Russia obsesses over Ukraine, its erstwhile friends and clients are quietly slipping away.
    Jeremy Shapiro, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The decisions ultimately have dire consequences for both the erstwhile pals and everyone else living on Inisherin.
    Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Old.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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