Synonyms

olden

American

[ohl-duhn] / ˈoʊl dən /

adjective

Literary.

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

olden British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of olden

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; old, -en ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Way back in olden times — seven days ago — Goldman Sachs lifted its year-end gold price target to $5,400 from $4,900.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

In the olden days, you might have to lie about how rich you are and maybe borrow a car.

From Salon • May 21, 2025

"In the olden days, doctors would ease you out of life and the difference was it wasn't necessarily with your consent," she said.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

It’s like the olden days when illiterate people needed the town scribe to read and write their letters, except most nonspeakers are not illiterate.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2023

In the olden way, as I did with Papi and with Señor Santos.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023