Meanings
adjectiveold-time (comparative more old-time, superlative most old-time)
comparative more old-time · superlative most old-time
- From or reminiscent of an earlier time or era; old-fashioned.
He likes to listen to old-time music.
- Ancient; persisting since ancient times.
Had a pterodactyl swooped down from those old-time crags, it would hardly have been out of place.
1931, Ion L. Idriess, Lasseter's Last Ride, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 97
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveattractively old-fashioned (but not necessarily authentic)
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eltós
- Proto-Germanic*aldaz
- Proto-West Germanic*ald
- Anglian Old Englishald
- Middle Englishold
- Englishold
- Proto-Indo-European*deh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*deh₂y-
- Proto-Indo-European*dih₂-mon-
- Proto-Germanic*tīmô
- Proto-West Germanic*tīmō
- Old Englishtīma
- Middle Englishtyme
- Englishtime
- Englishold-time
Translations
Bulgarian старинен, старовремски
- старинен (starinen)old-fashioned
- старовремски (starovremski)old-fashioned
Esperanto malmoderna
- malmodernaold-fashioned
French vétuste
- vétusteold-fashioned
Latin vetustus
- vetustusold-fashioned
Swedish gammaldags
- gammaldagsold-fashioned
Cite this entry
APA
old-time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old-time
MLA
“old-time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old-time. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “old-time,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old-time.
Source: old-time on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.