hoary

[ hawr-ee, hohr-ee ]
See synonyms for: hoaryhoariness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,hoar·i·er, hoar·i·est.
  1. gray or white with age: an old dog with a hoary muzzle.

  2. ancient or venerable: hoary myths.

  1. tedious from familiarity; stale: Please don't tell that hoary joke at dinner again tonight.

Origin of hoary

1
First recorded in 1520–30; hoar + -y1

Other words for hoary

Other words from hoary

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

Words Nearby hoary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hoary in a sentence

  • The idea is an old one—or as the irritable Economist magazine calls it, “hoary.”

    The Looming Banking Battle | Jeff Madrick | November 12, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Here we taste a mingling of modern elegance and hoary antiquity, such as has never ere now graced life for either of us.

    A Thin Ghost and Others | M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
  • hoary sires crept along on their staffs, followed by sons and sons' sons and daughters also.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • He describes the storm sweeping over the white-crested mountains till the earth, like a hoary king, trembles with fear.

  • Over the screen of trees you can see beautiful Delhi lying within its hoary walls.

  • She placed her hand lovingly on the edge of a hoary shutter.

    The Opened Shutters | Clara Louise Burnham

British Dictionary definitions for hoary

hoary

/ (ˈhɔːrɪ) /


adjectivehoarier or hoariest
  1. having grey or white hair

  2. white or whitish-grey in colour

  1. ancient or venerable

Derived forms of hoary

  • hoarily, adverb
  • hoariness, noun

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