bygone
Americanadjective
noun
idioms
adjective
noun
-
(often plural) a past occurrence
-
(often plural) an artefact, implement, etc, of former domestic or industrial use, now often collected for interest
-
to agree to forget past quarrels
Etymology
Origin of bygone
1375–1425; late Middle English (north) by-gane; see gone, by
Explanation
The adjective bygone is good for describing long-ago times. Your grandparents might enjoy looking at old photo albums and reminiscing about bygone days. A bygone era happened in the distant past, and a bygone sweetheart is an early romantic interest remembered by someone who's since lived a long life. You're most likely to see the phrase "bygone days" being used in a nostalgic way. If someone says, "Let bygones be bygones," they want to make up for long-ago slights and arguments, leaving them in the past where they belong.
Vocabulary lists containing bygone
Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 7
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Merle Haggard (1937-2016) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Togelius’s and Hassabis’s origin stories are relics of a bygone era where gaming was the money-making machine and AI was a quixotic science experiment.
From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026
Like a detective connecting with a source in a classic movie from a bygone era, Nicolas Cage met with showrunner Oren Uziel for lunch at Bottega Louie in downtown L.A. back in 2024.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Relying solely on geographic diversification methods, in which portfolios seek to offset losses in one market in lieu of another, also belongs to a bygone era, according to Holzer.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
In TCM, Turner created a viewing experience that wasn’t simply passive but curated, designed to educate and cultivate appreciation for bygone eras of filmmaking.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
They already knew a great deal about the prehistoric creatures that roamed the Serengeti in bygone years.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
