hoary

adjective

ˈhȯr-ē How to pronounce hoary (audio)
Definition of hoarynext
as in ancient
dating or surviving from the distant past hoary oak trees with dripping moss and gnarled limbs shaded us from the sun

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hoary Connecticut’s three tree-roosting bat species include the eastern red, silver-haired, and hoary bats. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2026 That hoary image remains compelling. — Sam Lipsyte, Curbed, 15 Dec. 2025 The most common species of bats found in Grand Teton National Park are little brown bats, followed by big brown, silver-haired, hoary, Yuma, long-legged, and long-eared bats, the agency said. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025 Ultimately, everyone’s happiness is denied, which makes for a cautionary critique of the hoary cliché of 1950s repression (the same falsification that was the basis of Todd Haynes’s drab lesbian drama Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara). — Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hoary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoary
  1. ancient
  2. venerable
  3. old
  4. medieval
  5. antique
Adjective
  • Even the climbing-vine wallpaper is yellowed, as if gradually discolored by the cigarettes of a thousand ancient Sundays.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Madrid sits on an ancient migration route that has always been part of a vast grid of farming paths covering the Iberian Peninsula.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • Executive produced by Flanagan and King, Carrie is the second Prime Video series based on MGM/UA IP to launch after Amazon MGM Studios had made exploiting the venerable studio’s library a priority following the 2022 acquisition.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There’s Haroon Mirza’s Stone Circle, commissioned by Ballroom Marfa, another venerable local institution.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of venerable
Adjective
  • An album-length EP by the 20-year-old producer is a dizzying and boundless collage of collages, using free-jazz logic and digital overload to chart new emotional terrain.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rodrigo Valentim, a 51-year-old businessman and supporter of Bolsonaro, said another Lula government would harm the economy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of old
Adjective
  • The territories at various times have been part of the Russian and Ottoman empires, medieval Kievan Rus’ and earlier civilizations.
    — Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The time period is vaguely medieval and the accents British, save for Skarsgård, who speaks in a flat, neutral exhale, the sound of breeze riffling through straw.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • Antique and Vintage Furniture At one point, antique wooden furniture dominated homes.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The space is adorned with black Zimbabwean granite, a burning fireplace, and antique silk carpets from Uzbekistan.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of antique

Browse Nearby Words

hoarse
hoary
hoax
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Cite this Entry

“Hoary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoary. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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