hoary

[ hawr-ee, hohr-ee ]

adjective

, hoar·i·er, hoar·i·est.

1. gray or white with age:

   an old dog with a hoary muzzle.

   Synonyms: hoar, grizzly, grizzled

2. ancient or venerable:

   hoary myths.

   Synonyms: revered, aged, dated, old

3. tedious from familiarity; stale:

   Please don't tell that hoary joke at dinner again tonight.

hoary

/ ˈhɔːrɪ /

adjective

1. having grey or white hair
2. white or whitish-grey in colour
3. ancient or venerable

Derived Forms

• ˈhoariness, noun
• ˈhoarily, adverb

Other Words From

• hoari·ly adverb
• hoari·ness noun
• un·hoary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoary¹

First recorded in 1520–30; hoar + -y ¹

Example Sentences

These field exposure estimates informed subsequent studies on the impact of such exposure on hibernating bumble bee queens and the hoary squash bee, a solitary ground-nesting species.

From Science Daily

It wasn’t; it was a hoary old chestnut that had already proved its inadequacy.

From Los Angeles Times

For this reason, they may not recognize that Trump is resurrecting a different and hoary form of Jew-hatred.

From Salon

The samples from the stall that contained the coronavirus also contained DNA from a variety of animals, including dogs, rabbits, hoary bamboo rats, Malayan porcupines and masked palm civets.

From Los Angeles Times

Other animals identified as a potential source of the pandemic were the masked palm civet, which was also associated with the Sars outbreak in 2003, as well as hoary bamboo rats and Malayan porcupines.

From BBC

Related Words

• age-old
• antiquated
• timeworn