old

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. aged, old-age, elderly; experienced; antique, antiquated, olden. See oldness, age.Ant., young; new.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [No longer vigorous]

Syn. aged, elderly, patriarchal, superannuated, gray, grizzled, venerable, hoary, not young, of long life, past one's prime, far advanced in years, matured, having lived long, full of years, seasoned, debilitated, infirm, inactive, deficient, enfeebled, decrepit, exhausted, tired, impaired, anemic, broken down, wasted, doddering, senile, on the shelf*, ancient*, gone to seed*, with one foot in the grave*.

Ant. young*, fresh, youthful.

2. [Worn]

Syn. time-worn, worn-out, thin, patched, ragged, faded, used, in holes, rubbed off, mended, broken-down, fallen to pieces, tumbled down, fallen in, given way, long used, out of use, rusted, crumbled, past usefulness, dilapidated, weather-beaten, ramshackle, battered, shattered, shabby, castoff, decayed, antiquated, decaying, stale, useless, tattered, in rags, torn, moth-eaten; see also sense 1, worn 2 .

Ant. fresh*, new, unused.

3. [Ancient]

Syn. ancient, archaic, antique, time-honored, prehistoric, bygone, early, forgotten, age-old, immemorial, antediluvian, olden, remote, past, distant, former, of old, of yore, gone by, long ago, classical, medieval, out of the dim past, primordial, primeval, pristine, belonging to antiquity, timeless, dateless, unrecorded, handed down, long-standing, venerable, hoary, old-time, of earliest time, of the old order, ancestral, traditional, primitive, atavistic, time out of mind, trogloditic, before the Flood, Noachian, pre-Adamite, old as time, old as the hills*; see also senses 1, 2, old-fashioned .

Ant. modern*, recent, late.

4. [Cherished]

Syn. good, dear, adored; see beloved .

5. [*Wonderful]

Syn. great, magnificent, superb; see excellent .

6. [Grown up]

Syn. adult, of age, of legal age, grown; see experienced , mature 1 .

7. [Out-of-date]

Syn. antiquated, obsolete, outmoded; see old-fashioned .

Syn.- old implies having been in existence or use for a relatively long time [ an old civilization, old shoes ] ; ancient implies reference to the remote past, often specif. the time of the early history of the world before the end of the Roman Empire ( !a.d. 476) [ancient history ] ; antique is applied to that which dates from ancient times, or, more commonly, from a former period [antique furniture ] ; antiquated is used to describe that which has become old-fashioned or outdated [antiquated notions of decorum ] ; archaic applies to something marked by the characteristics of an earlier period [thou is an archaic form of you] ; obsolete is applied to that which has fallen into disuse, is out-of-date, or has been superseded [obsolete weapons ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. aged elderly, venerable, advanced in years, matured, past one's prime, patriarchal, vintage, seasoned, *at a ripe old age, senior, retirement age. see old age

2. worn out decrepit, dilapidated, crumbling, decayed, deteriorated, shabby, enfeebled, senile.

3. former previous, early, past, bygone, once.

4. long-standing age-old, of the past, from time immemorial.

ANT.: 1. young, newborn, immature, unseasoned. 2. new, fresh, 3. later, future. 4. recent, new

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Existing or remaining in the same state for an indefinitely long time: abiding, continuing, durable, enduring, lasting, long-lasting, long-lived, long-standing, perdurable, perennial, permanent, persistent. See CONTINUE. 2. Far along in life or time: advanced, aged, elderly, senior. Idiom: getting along (or on) in years. See NEW. 3. Belonging to, existing, or occurring in times long past: age-old, ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, archaic, hoary, olden, old-time, timeworn, venerable. Idioms: old as Methuselah, old as the hills. See NEW. 4. Having been such previously: erstwhile, former, late, once, onetime, past, previous, quondam, sometime, whilom. See PRECEDE. 5. Of a style or method formerly in vogue: antiquated, antique, archaic, bygone, dated, dowdy, fusty, old-fashioned, old-time, outdated, outmoded, out-of-date, passe, vintage. See NEW. 6. Skilled or knowledgeable through long practice: experienced, practiced, seasoned, versed, veteran. Idiom: knowing the ropes. See ABILITY.