as in dodos
a person or thing that is similar to someone or something from the past or that is suited to an earlier time
—usually + to
She's a throwback to the actresses of the 1950s. The band's music is a throwback to the 1980s.
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Recent Examples of throwbacks
From underwear-baring sheer gowns to throwbacks from the fashion archives, the event’s red carpet was, this year, fun and risqué in equal measure.
—
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Her post included a video montage of photos from Parker's birthday celebration and several wholesome childhood throwbacks.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Canadian producer-DJ duo, consisting of members Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace, teed up banger after banger, keeping the crowd moving with a playful dance-pop set incorporating throwbacks, current hits, and selects from their discography.
—Meghan Mahar, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025
His thumping drums require elaborate sound systems; his basslines are shiny yet still funky; his sample flips bring new life out of throwbacks.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
As a result of having such a blend of artists, generations of techno talents will take the stage, spinning the latest hits and the greatest throwbacks, all for the collective love of techno.
—Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
The network’s online shop offers sweaters, T-shirts, jewelry, water bottles and other merch inspired by Emily in Paris season one — making the perfect gifts for longtime fans or anyone looking for show throwbacks.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2024
They’re scheduled to wear their all-white throwbacks only once, in Thursday’s visit to Seattle.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Her post included a video montage of photos from Parker's birthday celebration and several wholesome childhood throwbacks.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Canadian producer-DJ duo, consisting of members Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace, teed up banger after banger, keeping the crowd moving with a playful dance-pop set incorporating throwbacks, current hits, and selects from their discography.
—Meghan Mahar, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025
His thumping drums require elaborate sound systems; his basslines are shiny yet still funky; his sample flips bring new life out of throwbacks.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
As a result of having such a blend of artists, generations of techno talents will take the stage, spinning the latest hits and the greatest throwbacks, all for the collective love of techno.
—Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
The network’s online shop offers sweaters, T-shirts, jewelry, water bottles and other merch inspired by Emily in Paris season one — making the perfect gifts for longtime fans or anyone looking for show throwbacks.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2024
They’re scheduled to wear their all-white throwbacks only once, in Thursday’s visit to Seattle.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwbacks
Noun
-
Michael VanEtten, 46, has been combing Florida rivers and streams for fossils most of his life.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
These complementary efforts of fieldwork geology and the more digital world of computer modeling, in which geochemical data, fossils and ancient tectonics are paired with Earth system models, have helped pull back the veil on our deep past.—
Peter Brannen,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Comets are among the most captivating wanderers of the solar system — icy relics from its earliest days that blaze across the sky with glowing tails and mysterious origins.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Not a house of relics, not a memorial.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Here are more Denver old-timers preserving the city’s culinary and cultural past while inching toward the future, in alphabetical order.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
13 Aug. 2025
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Inside, the multi-generational crowd united old-timers, who may well have been at some of the Dead’s first Golden Gate Park gigs decades ago with kids and young adults catching live Grateful Dead music for the first time.—
Eric Renner Brown,
Billboard,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Throwbacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwbacks. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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