olden

[ ohl-duh n ]

/ ˈoʊl dən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR olden ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Literary.

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

Nearby words

old-timey, old-womanish, old-world, oldcastle, olde-worlde, olden, oldenbarneveldt, oldenburg, older, oldest, oldfangled

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for olden

We, in olden days, had towering kooks and colossal villains.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween|P. J. O’Rourke|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
We now come to the era of Kiwi Tamaki, the last, and undoubtedly the most notorious, of the olden Tamaki chiefs.
The City of Auckland|John Barr
In olden days the organ filled the easternmost arch on the north side of St. Hugh's choir.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lincoln|A. F. Kendrick
In olden times it was only kings and princes and persons of high degree that sent and received letters.
Stories of Useful Inventions|Samuel Eagle Foreman
It is doubtful if in olden times there was as much good order observed in church during divine service as there is now.
Bygone Church Life in Scotland|Various
Staircases were made of it in olden times, and they may still be found in some English halls and abbeys.
Among the Trees at Elmridge|Ella Rodman Church

British Dictionary definitions for olden

olden

/ (ˈəʊldən) /

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