they don't make them like they used to

A form of they don't make them like that anymore — Expressing such notions as that the person referred to is excellent and that owing to the decline of society, such people have become rarer; the old school was better; the youth today lack something that previous generations had more of; all the good ones are taken; and so on.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. alternativeAlternative form of they don't make them like that anymore
Cite this entry
APA

they don't make them like they used to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/they%20don't%20make%20them%20like%20they%20used%20to

MLA

“they don't make them like they used to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/they%20don't%20make%20them%20like%20they%20used%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “they don't make them like they used to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/they%20don't%20make%20them%20like%20they%20used%20to.

Source: they don't make them like they used to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.