olden

adjective
old·​en | \ ˈōl-dən How to pronounce olden (audio) \

Definition of olden

: of or relating to a bygone era

Examples of olden in a Sentence

What was life like in the olden days?

Recent Examples on the Web

In olden times, Sandler movies would open reasonably well in theaters, then enjoy a long life on pay TV and other platforms. Brian Lowry, CNN, "Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston reunite in generic 'Murder Mystery'," 14 June 2019 That’s another aspect of economic life that was much better for working Americans in olden times: There were more unions to protect workers. Alan S. Blinder, WSJ, "What if Trump Really Wanted to Make America Great Again?," 3 Dec. 2018 Which is why Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider (circa ye olden days of 2001) will always have a place in our hearts. Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, "The First Picture of Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft from 'Tomb Raider' Is Here and It's Badass," 27 Mar. 2017 Back in ye olden dayes, rich people collected masses of land (usually through force) and then forced vassals (that'd be us) to slog away for them and hand over money for the privilege. refinery29.com, "I Don't Give A Single Sh*t About The Royal Wedding, With Good Reason," 18 May 2018 Drop the olden talk, and communicate with spirits authentically. Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "A Beginner’s Guide to Communicating With Spirits on the Other Side," 19 June 2018 Long story short: Back in ye olden days of around 35+ years ago, Akecheta becomes the first member of Ghost Nation to reach consciousness after stumbling upon the aftermath of Dolores killing Arnold. Mehera Bonner, Harper's BAZAAR, "Don't Panic, But Westworld Finally Explained Ghost Nation," 11 June 2018 In olden times, cast members would station themselves outside FastPass lines, powerful gatekeepers who would collect the paper tickets and grant access or turn away scofflaws showing up at the wrong time and, yes, date. Scott Craven, azcentral, "Is Disneyland's MaxPass worth the price? A skeptic puts it to the test," 31 May 2018 Historians are counting on technology to make the subject more interesting for young people whose ideas of olden times may stretch only to the BlackBerry era. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, "Is technology bringing history to life or distorting it?," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'olden.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of olden

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for olden

olden

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of olden

: of or relating to a time in the distant past

olden

adjective
old·​en | \ ˈōl-dən How to pronounce olden (audio) \

Kids Definition of olden

: of an earlier period