old school

American  

noun

1. advocates or supporters of established custom or of conservatism.

   a military man of the old school.

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old school British  

noun

1. a school formerly attended by a person

2. a group of people favouring traditional ideas or conservative practices

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Other Word Forms

• old-school adjective

Etymology

Origin of old school

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

When I was scouting for Kei, I had to do it old school — go back and watch matches and learn different things about different players.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

Giardina’s prescription, and that of many other liberals and progressives in the region, is straightforward — and old school.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

It was, undeniably, an "old school cup tie" - one which both managers agreed provided "a bit of a throwback".

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

For dinner, I went old school at À La Renaissance, a century-old, recently revived bistro with chunky terrazzo floors and burgundy banquettes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Celibidache was a conductor from the old school, an imperious and strong-willed man with very definite ideas about how music ought to be played—and about who ought to play music.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell