Oldfashioned

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Being reminiscent of or adhering to practices from the past
2. Characterized by methods or styles that have fallen out of favor with contemporary standards
3. Reflecting customs and styles typical of a previous era ; representing practices or designs that are outdated by today's preferences

Etymology: The most striking part of this word's story belongs to its famous cousin, the cocktail. The compound "old-fashioned" is simply "old" plus "fashioned," the past participle of "fashion," so the adjective describes anything shaped by an earlier manner. Its sense of styles that have fallen out of favor is the ordinary meaning of that pairing, with nothing special in its coinage. The more colourful history is the drink. The old-fashioned cocktail goes back to at least the early 1800s, but it only received its name in the late 1800s. As more elaborate cocktails became popular, people who preferred simpler drinks began ordering "old-fashioned cocktails," asking for the plain version their grandparents might have recognized. The adjective thus gained a second life as the name of a drink whose appeal was precisely that it refused to change.

Synonyms: antiquated, dated

Antonyms: modern, contemporary