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• old fashioned
  old fashioned

  noun

  a cocktail made with whiskey, bitters, water, and sugar, and garnished with citrus-fruit slices and a cherry.
• old-fashioned
  old-fashioned

  adjective

  of a style or kind that is no longer in vogue.

old fashioned

¹ American  

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letters) a cocktail made with whiskey, bitters, water, and sugar, and garnished with citrus-fruit slices and a cherry.

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old-fashioned ² American  

[ohld-fash-uhnd] / ˈoʊldˈfæʃ ənd /

adjective

1. of a style or kind that is no longer in vogue.

   an old-fashioned bathing suit.

   Synonyms:

   obsolete, outmoded

2. favored or prevalent in former times.

   old-fashioned ideas.

3. having the conservative behavior, ways, ideas, or tastes of earlier times.

   a delightfully old-fashioned gentleman.

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old-fashioned British  

adjective

1. belonging to, characteristic of, or favoured by former times; outdated

   old-fashioned ideas

2. favouring or adopting the dress, manners, fashions, etc, of a former time

3. quizzically doubtful or disapproving

   she did not reply, but gave him an old-fashioned look

4. dialect old for one's age

   an old-fashioned child

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noun

1. a cocktail containing spirit, bitters, fruit, etc

Synonym Usage

See ancient ¹.

Other Word Forms

• old-fashionedness
  noun
• old-fashionedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of old fashioned¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Origin of old-fashioned²

First recorded in 1645–55

Explanation

Something that's old-fashioned is out of style or from the past. You could call an antique telephone old-fashioned, and you could also describe your elderly grandfather this way. Out-of-date clothes, like your aunt's wardrobe of 1980's dresses with shoulder pads, are old-fashioned. Soda fountains, carriages pulled by horses, and typewriters are all old-fashioned as well. These things are either not currently popular, or they're just plain old. There is also a whisky-based mixed drink called an old-fashioned which is still served in many stylish bars and restaurants.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

old fashioned old-fashioned

Judge Michael O'Grady KC said: "The word 'wicked' is an old fashioned word, but there are times when no other word will suffice."

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, old fashioned conglomerate Berkshire-Hathaway is changing hands with Warren Buffett stepping down at the age of 95.

From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026

However, McElligott reckons that this narrative of more skeptical AI thinking has been used to explain what in essence is simply old fashioned profit-taking after a strong run.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 19, 2025

"When I first started, there were a lot of the 'old boy gardeners', who loved dahlias, chrysanthemums, the old fashioned plants," he said.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025

She wore a gray silk gown of an old fashioned cut.

From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Laura Dent Crane

A beef-tallow-induced identity crisis: Earlier this year, Luke Winkie set out to crack the biggest culinary mystery in America: Why has this old-fashioned cooking ingredient become so polarizing?

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

From birdwatching to crocheting, hobbies once seen as old-fashioned are also finding a new audience as people look for inexpensive ways to improve their wellbeing.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

And if you feel a need to “social network,” you could do it the old-fashioned way — by talking to people on your phone or even, you know, meeting them.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Recovery time for a similar surgery performed the old-fashioned way is two to three months, but he was back on the mound in a game just a month later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

I’m trying out some good old-fashioned Bloch pointe shoes this time.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

• ancient
• antique
• archaic
• corny
• dated
• odd
• old
• old-time
• outdated
• outmoded
• primitive