belonging to, characteristic of, or favoured by former times; outdated
old-fashioned ideas
favouring or adopting the dress, manners, fashions, etc, of a former time
quizzically doubtful or disapproving
she did not reply, but gave him an old-fashioned look
dialect old for one's age
an old-fashioned child
See ancient 1.
First recorded in 1900–05
First recorded in 1645–55
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 Out-of-date clothes, like your aunt's wardrobe of 1980's dresses with shoulder pads, are old-fashioned.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.
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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
With installations focused on the fabled, traffic-free, open road “freedom” that car manufacturers like to so often tout, there’s something quaintly old fashioned here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
The prince also said: "I have had it described to me, once people knew about the facts, that this is a good old fashioned establishment stitch up - and that's what it feels like."
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
But if ever you want work like theirs again, you must keep it, though it should have the misfortune to become old fashioned.
From Unto This Last and Other Essays on Political Economy by Ruskin, John
Mextly Couzin’s lighting ushers in old-fashioned Broadway pizzazz when needed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Today the Scandinavian nation is the only place in Europe’s top 30 leagues to still officiate games the old-fashioned way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said Toronto's stadium - the smallest of all the World Cup stadiums, featuring temporary seating built to accommodate the crowds - reminded him of the "old-fashioned Premier League grounds".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
No, these were good old-fashioned pirates, sponsored by the Barbary states: the kingdom of Morocco was independent, while Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
I can almost see Gram beside me, twisting her parasol overhead, wearing one of her old-fashioned long dresses and a frown on her lips that doesn’t quite match the mischief in her eyes.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
