hoary

[hawr-ee, hohr-ee]

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adjective, hoar·i·er, hoar·i·est.

gray or white with age: an old dog with a hoary muzzle.
ancient or venerable: hoary myths.
tedious from familiarity; stale: Please don't tell that hoary joke at dinner again tonight.

Origin of hoary

First recorded in 1520–30; hoar + -y¹

Related formshoar·i·ly, adverbhoar·i·ness, nounun·hoar·y, adjective

Synonyms for hoary

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1. grizzled, grizzly; hoar. 2. old, dated, aged; venerated, revered.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hoary

antiquated, timeworn, age-old, aged, antique, elderly, old, old-fashioned, older, out-of-date, relic, rusty, venerable, oldie, frosty, graying, silvery, white-haired, whitish

Examples from the Web for hoary

Contemporary Examples of hoary

This is just one of those cases when the hoary cliché is true.
Obama’s Fighting Words
Michael Tomasky
September 7, 2011
The idea is an old one—or as the irritable Economist magazine calls it, “hoary.”
The Looming Banking Battle
Jeff Madrick
November 12, 2009

Historical Examples of hoary

One hoary tower only is seen, half hidden by the folds of a valley.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
My stockings all want to see my mother, and my hat is hoary with age.'
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
He listened with eager docility to the voice of hoary wisdom.
Imogen
William Godwin
I will listen with coolness to the voice of native sagacity and hoary experience.
Imogen
William Godwin
On the contrary, I look upon you as a swaggering bully and a hoary villain.
The Frozen Pirate
W. Clark Russell

British Dictionary definitions for hoary

hoary

adjective hoarier or hoariest

having grey or white hair
white or whitish-grey in colour
ancient or venerable

Derived Formshoarily, adverbhoariness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hoary

adj.

1510s, "gray or white with age" (of hair); c.1600 as "venerable, ancient;" from hoar + -y (2). Related: Hoariness.