Definitions

old school

ADJECTIVE

traditional

Synonyms

WEAK

acceptable accustomed classic classical conservative conventional customary habitual long-established old old line popular regular rooted time-honored

NOUN

earliest way of doing things

Synonyms

WEAK

backward-looking conforming conservative earlier generation leftovers old line old-fashioned past traditional unprogressive

old-school

ADJECTIVE

traditional

Synonyms

WEAK

acceptable accustomed backward-looking classic classical conforming conservative conventional customary habitual long-established old guard old-fashioned old-line popular regular rooted time-honored traditional unprogressive

NOUN

supporters of established custom or of conservatism

Synonyms

WEAK

conservative earlier generation old guard

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.

I have been married over 40 years, and we are old school.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

Fan Harry, 21, who works at a Rolling Stones clothing store also in London's Soho district, welcomed the snippets of the new material that he had heard, calling it "very old school".

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

For dinner, I went old school at À La Renaissance, a century-old, recently revived bistro with chunky terrazzo floors and burgundy banquettes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

My younger brother is like, “Hey, man, I just went in for a test, and they’re telling me I got to have an old school triple bypass,” and then that’s what we all get tested.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

“They’re envious because they’re stuck in that fussy old school and you get to live here with me.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

old school

Example Sentences

Related Words