Standard Lemma guide

aughts

adj · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɔːts/
  • Australian, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard: /oːts/
  • US: /ɔts/
  • US, cot-caught-merger: /ɑts/
  • Canada, Eastern-New-England: /ɒts/
  • Scotland: /ɔts/
  • rhymes with -ɔːts

1

adj

Meaning 1

From or evoking the first decade of a century (chiefly the 2000s).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Dialup internet is so aughts.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The first decade of a century, such as 1900 to 1909 or 2000 to 2009, whose digit in the tens place is zero; the noughties.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From the sense of aught to refer to the number zero.