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 belonging to, characteristic of, or favoured by former times; outdated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

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Etymology

Origin of old fashioned¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Origin of old-fashioned²

First recorded in 1645–55

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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 Out-of-date clothes, like your aunt's wardrobe of 1980's dresses with shoulder pads, are old-fashioned.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

And I heard about it, in thundering waves of sarcasm and snark, from old fashioned emails to online comments, a tsunami of taunts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

But I’m old fashioned, and young comics are going to probably make fun of me, but I think the cream tends to rise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 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

Extremely fastidious critics would call them old fashioned, but they have at least this merit, they are life-like.

From Revisiting the Earth by James Langdon Hill

First, it’s an old-fashioned love story with a fantastical twist: Lively’s character dies in a car crash but is revived when she’s struck by lightning, only to stop aging forever.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

Stephen Cawley, also from Scotby, said the absence of an internet connection had led his family to spend time together the old-fashioned way.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

If keeping track of so many expenses the old-fashioned way seems complicated, Mary Morris, the CEO of Commonwealth Savers, Virginia’s 529 plan, suggests using a prepaid card.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026

In an era of extreme bullpen specialization, when seemingly every reliever has a prescribed role, Ashby has become an old-fashioned fireman befitting the Brewers’ throwback style.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

They gave him an old-fashioned look, like he was from another time.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

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Related Words

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• outdated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

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