15+ Slang Words For Old (And Other Related Terms)

Written by Gabriel Cruz - Foodie, Animal Lover, Slang & Language Enthusiast

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Like most things, there are gains and losses to old age. When youth goes, expertise replaces it. When innocence drifts, experiences fill it up. Look for the silver lining in aging (for both objects and people) with the following expressions for it. 

Slang Words for Old (in Alphabetical Order)

Backward-Looking

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) Anything that is more attuned to the past. 
  • Example: The Mayor’s backward-looking policies have the entire town shaking their heads.

Cut and Dried

Meaning:

  • (Idiom) Preparing everything beforehand so that when the time comes to inspect or dwell on the matter, there are already preparations in place.
  • Example: The contest winners were already cut and dried by the judging committee yesterday. The final performance is only a show.

Dry as Dust 

Meaning:

  • (Expression) Ideas or objects that are old enough to lack value or interest.
  • Example: The precocious girl did not like her English textbook because all the stories and tests in it are dry as dust for her. 

Hand-Me-Down

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) Objects (usually clothing) that is given (i.e. passed down) by one person to another, usually after having used them.
  • Example: We were so poor growing up that all I had to wear was hand-me-downs from my older brothers.

Mind-Numbing

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) An old story, image, or idea repeated again that encourages mind-numbing sensations to anyone listening. 
  • Example: Alexa’s mind-numbing account of how she broke up with her boyfriend this time around is so exhausting. They have been on-and-off again a hundred times now.

Never-Ending

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) A practice or idea that started a long time ago that is still ongoing or relevant today.
  • Example: The never-ending tag game between the four friends still continues in their adult lives.

On its Last Legs

Meaning:

  • (Expression) Used to convey that an old and dominant entity is nearing its end. 
  • Example: The old washing machine that has been used for more than two decades is on its last legs. The landlord has to buy a new one.

Over the Hill

Meaning:

  • (Idiom) An Australian expression for something doable back then but is not anymore due to limitations of old age.
  • Example:

Person 1: Gee grandma, had you been younger, we could be rock climbing now.

Person 2: That’s over the hill now granddaughter. 


Past One's Prime

Meaning:

  • (Expression) When someone is no longer as good as they used to be at something. 
  • Example: Kenna can no longer do clinical exams the way she used to. She is past her prime. 

Ramshackle

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) Having a loose sense or memory typically associated with old people.
  • Example: The old patient’s ramshackled mind makes him easily forget.

Senescent

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) A formal way of saying that someone or something is growing old.
  • Example: The senescent Uncle gives more lavish Christmas presents to the kids.

Time-Tested

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) An old object, activity, or idea that has proved its purpose and effectiveness with time.
  • Example: Aloe vera is a time-tested remedy for a lot of skin and hair issues.

Tried-and-True

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) An old object or practice that has been affirmed by a lot of people.
  • Example: Vaccines are the tried-and-true way of getting rid of illnesses throughout the world.

Up in Years

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) An expression that acknowledges someone or something’s increase in age. 
  • Example: When commercial lots are up in years, their value increases.

Way Back When

Meaning:

  • (Expression) A popular expression to refer to the past.
  • Example: Way back when the Internet was not yet a thing, scholars and researchers had to read a lot of books and subscribe to publications to stay updated. 

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