dated
Americanadjective
-
having or showing a date.
a dated record of all meetings.
-
out-of-date; old-fashioned.
a nostalgic program of dated songs.
- Synonyms:
- unfashionable, passé, outmoded
adjective
-
unfashionable; outmoded
dated clothes
-
(of a security) having a fixed date for redemption
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dated
Explanation
Something that's dated is very obviously old-fashioned or out of style. Your grandmother's expectation that you send her a written thank-you note whenever she gives you a gift might seem a little dated to you. Some people can wear thrift shop clothes from the 1980s and look stylish, while others just look dated. And while some movies are still funny even years after they're released, the jokes in others just seem dated. This word meaning "old-fashioned" has been around since the turn of the 20th century, from date, which means both "to mark with a date" and also "to mark as old-fashioned."
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.
This one was a new, more casual ex he briefly dated earlier in the year.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
He said Maxwell had dated Epstein before they'd met and it at times felt odd that she was working for her ex-boyfriend.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
I am noting that the receipts are stacked four-deep — dated and on the record.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
The cautious enthusiasm surrounding the trio of Embiid plus All-Stars Paul George and Tyrese Maxey—a costly attempt at a dated NBA concept, a “Big Three”—had long ago curdled into regret.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
She looked a touch younger in the picture, which the article said was dated 1909, about the same time she had joined the Hebrew Actors’ Union, but it was the same face.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
