belonging to, characteristic of, or favoured by former times; outdated
old-fashioned ideas
favouring or adopting the dress, manners, fashions, etc, of a former time
quizzically doubtful or disapproving
she did not reply, but gave him an old-fashioned look
dialect old for one's age
an old-fashioned child
See ancient 1.
First recorded in 1900–05
First recorded in 1645–55
Something that's old-fashioned is out of style or from the past. You could call an antique telephone old-fashioned, and you could also describe your elderly grandfather this way. Out-of-date clothes, like your aunt's wardrobe of 1980's dresses with shoulder pads, are old-fashioned. Soda fountains, carriages pulled by horses, and typewriters are all old-fashioned as well. These things are either not currently popular, or they're just plain old. There is also a whisky-based mixed drink called an old-fashioned which is still served in many stylish bars and restaurants.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But I’m old fashioned, and young comics are going to probably make fun of me, but I think the cream tends to rise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Meanwhile, old fashioned conglomerate Berkshire-Hathaway is changing hands with Warren Buffett stepping down at the age of 95.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
With installations focused on the fabled, traffic-free, open road “freedom” that car manufacturers like to so often tout, there’s something quaintly old fashioned here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
However, McElligott reckons that this narrative of more skeptical AI thinking has been used to explain what in essence is simply old fashioned profit-taking after a strong run.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 19, 2025
The eyes of both girls were riveted on the old fashioned dressing table in one corner of the room.
From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Crane, Laura Dent
If you want to bring back old-fashioned pamphleting, your nearest print shop will be delighted to help, just as soon as they get over their astonishment.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
The Year 3 and 4 students believed they were going on an "old-fashioned" school trip, before being taken to the Moana Experience in support of the new film.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Am I being old-fashioned, or is professionalism still something clients should expect from a financial adviser?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Trout is an All-Star for the 12th time, the old-fashioned way: He earned it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
On the morning of November 11, 1918, Major Keith Officer, an Australian, was watching the minutes go around on his large, old-fashioned hunting watch as he waited for the cease-fire to begin.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
