Synonyms

olden

American

[ohl-duhn] / ˈoʊl dən /

adjective

Literary.

of or relating to the distant past or bygone times; ancient.
old.

olden British

/ ˈəʊldən /

adjective

an archaic or poetic word for old

in olden days
in olden times

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of olden

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; old, -en ²

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.

It was a man “dressed in a white cravat, and a brown coat of the olden style.”

From Literature

Way back in olden times — seven days ago — Goldman Sachs lifted its year-end gold price target to $5,400 from $4,900.

From MarketWatch

“In the olden days when Grandma Mae was a kid, babies didn’t have car seats, and it all worked out fine. You know I’m a good driver,” Mom says.

From Literature

"It was like living in the olden days," her son T-jay adds.

From BBC

In the olden days, you might have to lie about how rich you are and maybe borrow a car.

From Salon

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