of or relating to the ancient world or to a former period of history.
of or relating to the Old World.
old-world customs.
characteristic of the Old World; quaint; traditional.
Europe, Asia, and Africa, especially when regarded collectively as the inhabited landmasses of the world known to Europe prior to its discovery of the Americas.
First recorded in 1705–15
First recorded in 1590–1600
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The reborn Maybach struggled for sales against the old-world incumbents, Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Historic freezes in 1894 and 1895 nearly eradicated the industry, its first and last real brush with old-world calamity.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Dan Tana’s has endured, Martino said, in part because it can still deliver a charming, old-world experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2025
The kind that reeks of washed rinds, that crunches with tyrosine crystals, that bears the name of a tiny European village in delicate, old-world type.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2025
Irwin had a queer, old-world habit of calling women ladies.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Old World hantaviruses, typically found in Europe and Asia, generally affect the kidneys.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
In Africa, Asia and Europe, they are referred to as Old World hantaviruses.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
Not that the Old World exactly meets this complicated moment brimming with confidence.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Out of their victory over sin and guilt, Hawthorne builds the “city on a hill” that the American republic would become: a dynamic vessel for people and ideas fleeing an exhausted Old World.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Lawson was an opportunist, and although he was soft-spoken and possessed Old World manners, his invitation wasn’t proffered completely out of courtesy.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
