Phrase guide

good old days

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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A period of time in the distant past when things were better or fondly remembered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • In the good old days we could go to the gasworks and buy coke.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

past times remembered with nostalgia

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: auld langsyne, langsyne, old times

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: past, past times, yesteryear

History

Etymology

Blend of good old + old days.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: goeie ou dae — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Arabic: الزَّمَن الجَمِيل (az-zaman al-jamīl) — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Finnish: vanhat hyvät ajat — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • French: bon vieux temps — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Hungarian: régi szép idők — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Polish: stare, dobre czasy — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Russian: ста́рые до́брые времена́ (stáryje dóbryje vremená) — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Spanish: el año catapum — the past, seen as a time when things were better
  • Swedish: gamla goda tiden — the past, seen as a time when things were better