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Synonyms

age-old

American  
[eyj-ohld] / ˈeɪdʒˌoʊld /

adjective

  1. ancient; from time immemorial.

    an age-old tradition.
age-old British  

adjective

  1. very old or of long duration; ancient

"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 age-old

First recorded in 1900–05

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.

My only guess is that it came down to the age-old issue in boxing: money.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Index funds add marginal exposure to stocks as they make relative gains, a seeming refutation of the age-old maxim to buy low, sell high.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

The scope of Salesforce’s buyback ambitions invites the age-old debate over whether growth-oriented technology companies should devote so much money to capital returns instead of meaningfully stepping up their business investments.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

But factories and businesses in the mountainous district say the age-old tradition is struggling against weak consumerism, with even the approaching Lunar New Year failing to boost sales.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

That was the age-old pact between the hunters and the World Spirit.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.