old-timey

American

[ohld-tahy-mee] / ˈoʊldˈtaɪ mi /

adjective

Informal.

belonging to or characteristic of former times, usually eliciting a sentimental yearning for the past; old-time.

an inn with charming, old-timey details.

Etymology

Origin of old-timey

First recorded in 1850–55; old-time ( def. ) + -y ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These songs made their scenes indelible, from classic rock and dance pop to old-timey blues and thrash.

From Los Angeles Times

The poster above the T-shirts is of an old-timey black-and-white photograph of a lighthouse.

From Literature

You hear the music of “Auld Lang Syne” on an old-timey organ, while John dons a Scottish accent and spins a tale about beasties while a wind sound effect blows in the background.

From Salon

Children ages 4 to 8 will think they know what’s coming from the placid, old-timey barnyard setting, where the horse says “neigh” and the cow says “moo.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In spite of supercharged performances by the two leads, there’s something pasteboard about the characters, drawn in thick outlines but not really colored in; that the actors are saddled with old-timey dialogue makes them less rather than more real.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023