Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

old-world ¹ British  

adjective

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

---

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

---

Old World Cultural  

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

---

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of old-world¹

First recorded in 1705–15

Origin of Old World²

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

old-world Old World

Hart also looked to artists as varied as Kurt Cobain and Chappell Roan, while drawing inspiration from classical music, blues and the old-world sound Lestat would have absorbed over his long life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 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

By the 1970s, elevator operators had largely vanished, lingering mostly in luxury hotels where their old-world charm and sense of ceremony still held appeal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 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

Irwin had a queer, old-world habit of calling women ladies.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

In the Old World, women would have learned how to make those dishes from their mothers, but in America they often lived in separate households.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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

A combination of letters signifying a person or brand feels Old World rather than the shiny new feeling that defines our casual, everyday West Coast lifestyle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

Much less data support the notion that Old World bacteria and viruses turned the New World into an abattoir.*

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

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