olden

[ohl-duh n]

See more synonyms for olden on Thesaurus.com

adjective Literary.

of or relating to the distant past or bygone times; ancient.
old.

Origin of olden

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at old, -en²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for olden

Contemporary Examples

We, in olden days, had towering kooks and colossal villains.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween
P. J. O’Rourke
November 1, 2014
For those of you who are not old enough to remember, a watch was a device for telling time back in olden days, before smartphones.
10 Terrible Gift Ideas for Graduates From Dilbert Creator Scott Adams
Scott Adams
May 17, 2014
Of course, in the olden days, we knew what to think of Americans who quoted extensively from Pravda - right, Comrade Beck?
It's Official: The Blaze and Pravda Agree on Obama!
David Frum
November 26, 2012
I signed up to write my sixth book back in the olden days of 2005.
Why My Next E-Book Will Be About Iraq
David Frum
May 19, 2012
In olden days and on the old continent, criticizing the monarch might limit your life chances.
In Praise of Joe Wilson
Alex Massie
September 10, 2009

Historical Examples

Why should not miracles come now, as in the olden days, for had not all this been ordained from the beginning?
The Dream
Emile Zola
The tone of olden friendliness was hard to bear, when no other voices answered.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
On the whole, he was like a baron of the olden time in a rare good humour.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
In olden days, other houses of tradesmen besides inns had signs.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
In the olden days it would have been a laugh, but Gloria must wait for strength to laugh.
Gloria and Treeless Street
Annie Hamilton Donnell

British Dictionary definitions for olden

olden

adjective

an archaic or poetic word for old in olden days; in olden times

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for olden

adj.

early 15c., from old + -en (2).

olden

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}olden

Related Words

Examples from the Web for olden

Contemporary Examples

We, in olden days, had towering kooks and colossal villains.

For those of you who are not old enough to remember, a watch was a device for telling time back in olden days, before smartphones.

Of course, in the olden days, we knew what to think of Americans who quoted extensively from Pravda - right, Comrade Beck?

I signed up to write my sixth book back in the olden days of 2005.

In olden days and on the old continent, criticizing the monarch might limit your life chances.

Historical Examples

Why should not miracles come now, as in the olden days, for had not all this been ordained from the beginning?

The tone of olden friendliness was hard to bear, when no other voices answered.

On the whole, he was like a baron of the olden time in a rare good humour.

In olden days, other houses of tradesmen besides inns had signs.

In the olden days it would have been a laugh, but Gloria must wait for strength to laugh.

olden

Word Origin and History for olden

adj.

Origin of olden