age-old

adjective

ˈāj-ˈōld How to pronounce age-old (audio)
Synonyms of age-oldnext
: having existed for ages : ancient

Synonyms of age-old

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of age-old in a Sentence

age-old customs and beliefs
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The mass wedding was a wonderful thing, but age-old customs should not be tampered with. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026 Industry insiders know this age-old operational headache all too well. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026 True minimalism is avant-garde, exciting, and even, at times, a radical new answer to an age-old question—something that Simone Bellotti understands at Jil Sander very well. — Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 However, the boom of interest in age-old forms of heat therapy like sauna may be a natural entry point for many. — Will Stone, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for age-old

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of age-old was in 1860

Rhymes for age-old

See All Rhymes for age-old

Browse Nearby Words

Age of Reptiles
age-old
ageostrophic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Age-old.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/age-old. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

age-old

adjective
ˈa-ˈjōld
: having existed for ages : ancient
an age-old story
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of satiate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All