hoary
adjective
ˈhȯr-ē 
hoarier; hoariest
1
: gray or white with or as if with age
bowed his hoary head
2
: extremely old : ancient
hoary legends
hoariness noun
Did you know?
Hoary is an Old English word that comes from hoar, which shares its meanings. Both words refer to anything that is old or that has the whitened look of age.
Synonyms
- age-old
- aged
- ancient
- antediluvian
- antique
- dateless
- hoar
- immemorial
- old
- venerable
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a hoary tale of revenge He bowed his hoary head. a man hoary with age
Recent Examples on the Web His Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves shamelessly pandered to the American Indian Wars with a hoary brotherhood theme. 
Armond White, National Review, 12 Aug. 2022 The hoary old zombie drama has killed off perhaps the best character ever in this show’s entire eleven-year run. Erik Kain, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 But Feldstein doesn’t quite have the theatrical confidence to convince us that this hoary music hall business could really kill. Charles Mcnultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2022 Many who voted for Mélenchon have no use for his broad-brushed and hoary anticapitalist nostrums. Arthur Goldhammer, The New Republic, 11 Apr. 2022 Three redpoll species are currently recognized: common, hoary, and lesser (a Eurasian species). Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2022 It was named Summit Lake, and then Alta Lake, and eventually Whistler because of the whistle sound made by its hoary marmots, a big squirrel-like animal. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 14 Mar. 2022 What at one point in Allen’s long career may have felt clever and innovative simply comes off like a hoary device to pad an undernourished story. Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2022 Another fanciful theory blames French monarch Charles V. American newspapers of the late 19th and early 20th century loved to trot out this hoary tale. Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2021 See More
Armond White, National Review, 12 Aug. 2022 The hoary old zombie drama has killed off perhaps the best character ever in this show’s entire eleven-year run. Erik Kain, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 But Feldstein doesn’t quite have the theatrical confidence to convince us that this hoary music hall business could really kill. Charles Mcnultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2022 Many who voted for Mélenchon have no use for his broad-brushed and hoary anticapitalist nostrums. Arthur Goldhammer, The New Republic, 11 Apr. 2022 Three redpoll species are currently recognized: common, hoary, and lesser (a Eurasian species). Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2022 It was named Summit Lake, and then Alta Lake, and eventually Whistler because of the whistle sound made by its hoary marmots, a big squirrel-like animal. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 14 Mar. 2022 What at one point in Allen’s long career may have felt clever and innovative simply comes off like a hoary device to pad an undernourished story. Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2022 Another fanciful theory blames French monarch Charles V. American newspapers of the late 19th and early 20th century loved to trot out this hoary tale. Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
hoary
adjective
ˈhȯr-ē
hoarier; hoariest
1
: very old
a hoary tale
2
: having gray or white hair
a hoary head
hoary
adjective
as in ancient
dating or surviving from the distant past hoary oak trees with dripping moss and gnarled limbs shaded us from the sun Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- ancient
- venerable
- old
- antique
- medieval
- antediluvian
- hoar
- archaic
- immemorial
- antiquated
- age-old
- prehistoric
- aged
- traditional
- aging
- fusty
- outmoded
- prehistorical
- dateless
- geriatric
- obsolete
- dated
- passé
- vintage
- ageless
- retro
- enduring
- timeworn
- mediaeval
- classical
- timeless
- ageing
- archaistic
- moldy
- durable
- primeval
- old-time
- primordial
- permanent
- out-of-date
- lasting
- classic
- old-world
- time-honored
- old-fashioned
- mature
- tried-and-true
- time-tested
- Noachian
- tried
- hallowed
- long-lived
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- modern
- new
- recent
- young
- youthful
- vernal
- fresh
- contemporary
- current
- latest
- ultramodern
- novel
- untried
- untested
- unused
- present-day
- mod
- unworn
- brand-new