retrophilia

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noun

The attraction to and preference for that which is from or characteristic of the past.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounretrophilia (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe attraction to and preference for that which is from or characteristic of the past.

    At the same time, a wave of retrophilia started to crest. Clothing companies like Homage (which reproduces vintage-esque T's celebrating sports and pop culture from the '70s through the '90s) came up with unique ways to commercialize the interest in yesteryear.

    2010 November 21, Kevin Alexander, “The secret to selling cool”, in Boston Globe

Origin

From retro- + -philia.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

horripilate
Cite this entry
APA

retrophilia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retrophilia

MLA

“retrophilia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retrophilia. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “retrophilia,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retrophilia.

Source: retrophilia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.