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• old-world
  old-world

  adjective

  of or relating to the ancient world or to a former period of history.
• Old World
  Old World

  noun

  Europe, Asia, and Africa, especially when regarded collectively as the inhabited landmasses of the world known to Europe prior to its discovery of the Americas.

old-world

¹ American  

[ohld-wurld] / ˈoʊldˈwɜrld /

adjective

1. of or relating to the ancient world or to a former period of history.

2. of or relating to the Old World.

   old-world customs.

3. characteristic of the Old World; quaint; traditional.

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Old World ² American  

[ohld wurld] / ˈoʊld ˌwɜrld /

noun

1. Europe, Asia, and Africa, especially when regarded collectively as the inhabited landmasses of the world known to Europe prior to its discovery of the Americas.

2. Eastern Hemisphere.

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old-world ¹ British  

adjective

1. of or characteristic of former times, esp, in Europe, quaint or traditional

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Old World ² British  

noun

1. that part of the world that was known before the discovery of the Americas, comprising Europe, Asia, and Africa; the eastern hemisphere

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Old World Cultural  

1. The Eastern Hemisphere, especially Europe, as opposed to the New World — the Americas.

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Other Word Forms

• old-worldliness
  noun
• old-worldly
  adjective
• old-worldly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of old-world¹

First recorded in 1705–15

Origin of Old World²

First recorded in 1590–1600

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

old-world Old World

It’s a hard twist to reconcile in a funky sport with old-world attributes, like the referee mysteriously keeping track of the remaining time like a secret cupcake in his pocket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

Historic freezes in 1894 and 1895 nearly eradicated the industry, its first and last real brush with old-world calamity.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

As well as dressing up, they also try to replicate the posture, behaviours - such as using a fan - and "old-world way of speaking" of the Regency period.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Preservation was part of the conversation when the two connected, but both were also focused on revitalization and augmenting the structure’s old-world charms with something fresh and modern.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026

Representing the marriage of old-world traditions with the apple-pie aspirations of the new country, she took crown after crown.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

They only knew it offered what the Old World increasingly didn’t: freedom to think, to work and collaborate, to worship and to build.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

While U.S. power and light providers steal headlines with data center superprojects and the proposed megamerger between NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy, Old World cousins are outperforming.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

The vast majority of cases occur in China, with thousands of cases caused by Old World hantavirus strains occurring annually.

From Salon ● May 9, 2026

In Africa, Asia and Europe, they are referred to as Old World hantaviruses.

From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026

However, the Sumerians and early Mexicans happened to have been the first to evolve them in the Old World and the New World, respectively.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• charming
• curious
• cute
• fanciful
• picturesque
• twee
• whimsical

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