old-school

adjective

ˈōl(d)-ˌskül How to pronounce old-school (audio)
Definition of old-schoolnext
1
as in vintage
pleasantly reminiscent of an earlier time an old-school romantic comedy in which the two leads don't jump into bed at the first opportunity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in traditional
tending to favor established ideas, conditions, or institutions an old-school gentleman who opened doors and pulled out chairs for women

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 old-school Directed by Pedro Artola and filmed in New York City, the visual finds Becky boxing and training hard in an old-school gym. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026 The party adopted identity politics and institutional reform, intervening in areas where old-school Democrats felt that people’s rights should trump all. — Alex Rosado, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2026 One40 Rooftop designs cocktails and food together to tell a story, while Salumeria Rosi offers traditional dessert pairings for an old-school Italian rhythm. — Carissa Chesanek, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Dovetail Brewery Focusing exclusively on Continental European styles like their smooth and coppery Vienna Lager, Dovetail has an old-school, pretzels-and-sausage vibe. — Midwest Living, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for old-school
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old-school
  1. vintage
  2. traditional
  3. retro
  4. conservative
  5. antique
  6. orthodox
  7. antiquated
  8. old-time
Adjective
  • Jewelry, including earrings, rings, and a watch, was by Bulgari, with Trussardi sunglasses and a vintage Chanel handbag sourced from celebrity fave sourcer and vintage dealer Fashionphile.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 July 2026
  • The lobby’s retro Sweet N’ Glow Salon’s color scheme is as pink as a packet of Sweet N’ Low sugar substitute, complete with beehive hair dryers, vintage magazines, and a kitschy wig collection.
    — Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of vintage
Adjective
  • But the shift underscores a dramatic loss of clout by Comcast and other traditional media enterprises.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • While the crowds spent their money on an overheated summer in the Mediterranean, a quieter group is waiting patiently for September, October and November, the traditional shoulder season.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of traditional
Adjective
  • From bold color contrast to sheer layering and retro prints, caftans can be styled far beyond a basic beach coverup.
    — Katherine J Igoe, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • The Eastport patio umbrella is Serena & Lily’s interpretation of a retro silhouette adapted to fit a coastal aesthetic.
    — Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 30 June 2026
Definition of retro
Adjective
  • The conservative assault on child health starts with the anti-vaccine campaign and proceeds to cutbacks in nutrition assistance and narrowed access to healthcare.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Each capsule biography offers a short video created in partnership with the conservative media organization PragerU.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Definition of conservative
Adjective
  • The event attracts over 60,000 spectators and showcases floats, marching bands, equestrians, dance groups, antique cars and community organizations.
    — Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 5 July 2026
  • Quince Lightweight Coverlets For a vintage vibe, pick up this coverlet that has a channel stitch reminiscent of antique quilts.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
Definition of antique
Adjective
  • Rodriguez almost played as an auxiliary right-back instead of an orthodox right-winger, dropping deep and dictating play.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • In an age of intelligent machines, who gets to decide what is orthodox remains one of the most important questions a free society can ask.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Definition of orthodox
Adjective
  • By wrapping antiquated infrastructure in agentic interfaces, these workers can unlock near-native operational efficiency without a risky, catastrophic core system overhaul.
    — Barney Krishnan, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • But what, exactly, is that robot doing watching fireworks next to a little boy and a man in antiquated garb?
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of antiquated
Adjective
  • An adventure with worms, good fat juicy old-time earthworms, moist and sexy and leaving their mucus on you.
    — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • This old-time favorite is always a good idea.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 23 June 2026
Definition of old-time

Browse Nearby Words

olds
old-school
oldster
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Old-school.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old-school. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All