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• old-world
  old-world

  adjective

  of or relating to the ancient world or to a former period of history.
• Old World
  Old World

  noun

  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.

old-world

¹ American  

[ohld-wurld] / ˈoʊldˈwɜrld /

adjective

1. of or relating to the ancient world or to a former period of history.

2. of or relating to the Old World.

   old-world customs.

3. characteristic of the Old World; quaint; traditional.

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Old World ² American  

[ohld wurld] / ˈoʊld ˌwɜrld /

noun

1. 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.

2. Eastern Hemisphere.

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old-world ¹ British  

adjective

1. of or characteristic of former times, esp, in Europe, quaint or traditional

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Old World ² British  

noun

1. that part of the world that was known before the discovery of the Americas, comprising Europe, Asia, and Africa; the eastern hemisphere

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Old World Cultural  

1. The Eastern Hemisphere, especially Europe, as opposed to the New World — the Americas.

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Other Word Forms

• old-worldliness
  noun
• old-worldly
  adjective
• old-worldly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of old-world¹

First recorded in 1705–15

Origin of Old World²

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

old-world Old World

Few businesses are more old-world than seaports, but cargo handling has gone digital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

The Saint Paul Hotel — Overlooking Rice Park in downtown St. Paul, the Saint Paul Hotel delivers old-world elegance with the kind of attentive service that’s increasingly rare.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 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

As well as dressing up, they also try to replicate the posture, behaviours - such as using a fan - and "old-world way of speaking" of the Regency period.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Jenna's still old-world enough to do better with the greeting: "Good afternoon, Grandmother Das," she says, bowing her head slightly.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

The vast majority of cases occur in China, with thousands of cases caused by Old World hantavirus strains occurring annually.

From Salon ● May 9, 2026

In this case, an Old World hantavirus was at fault, not the Andes strain that’s responsible for the outbreak on the cruise ship.

From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026

A combination of letters signifying a person or brand feels Old World rather than the shiny new feeling that defines our casual, everyday West Coast lifestyle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

Not that the Old World exactly meets this complicated moment brimming with confidence.

From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026

However, the Sumerians and early Mexicans happened to have been the first to evolve them in the Old World and the New World, respectively.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• charming
• curious
• cute
• fanciful
• picturesque
• twee
• whimsical