Phrase guide

old school

adj · noun · 7 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: /ˈəʊl(d)skuːl/
  • General-American: /ˈoʊl(d)ˌskul/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Now often old-school: characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era, remembered either for its inferiority to the current method, or for its superiority over the new way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • That teacher’s old-school methods aren’t effective. They’re just annoying.
  • Man, I love that jacket; it’s so old school.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: OG, outdated, out of date, out of fashion, anachronistic, antediluvial, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, archaic, backward, backwards, behind the times, cobwebbed, cobwebby, dated, defunct, desuete, discontinued, disused, dootsie, elderly, extinct, expired, fossilized, Havishamesque, hoary, idle, Miss Havishamesque, mouldy, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old school, outmoded, outworn, parachronistic, passé, primitive, superannuated, superseded, unemployed, unoccupied, venerable, workless, basic, cheugy, cringe, cringey, cringeworthy, démodé, inelegant, last year, normie, old-hat, ossified, out, out of touch, rinky-dink, tacky, unchic, uncool, unfashionable, unhip, unpopular, unstylish, untrendy

Antonyms: new school, new-school

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or relating to a style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; specifically (often old skool), of or relating to hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: new school, new-school, newskool, new skool, nu skool

3

adj

Meaning 3

Chiefly in the form Old School: having conservative or traditional views on Christianity or politics.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, idiomatic

Topics: Christianity, government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Alternative letter-case form of old school (“having conservative or traditional views on Christianity or politics”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, alt-of, idiomatic, not-comparable

Topics: Christianity, government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Preceded by the: a group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; also, a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era, remembered either for its inferiority to the current method, or for its superiority over the new way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, uncountable

Examples

  • Family experts are advocating a change away from the old school, advising parents not to medicate behavioural problems.
  • My mom’s a good baker because she’s of the old school. She’d never buy ready-made cookie dough.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: new school

6

noun

Meaning 6

A style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; specifically (often old skool), hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, uncountable

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a class of people favoring traditional ideas

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: class, stratum, social class, socio-economic class

History

Etymology

The noun is derived from old + school (“followers of a particular doctrine; particular doctrine or way of thinking”), probably a shortening of old school of thinking, old school of thought, or some similar phrase. The adjective is derived from the attributive form of the noun.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: старовремски (starovremski) — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Chinese Mandarin: 過氣 /过气 (guòqì) — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Chinese Mandarin: 老派 (lǎopài) — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Finnish: vanhanaikainen — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Finnish: vanhan ajan — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Finnish: vanhan koulukunnan — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • French: à l’ancienne — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • French: vieille école — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • French: vieux jeu — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • German: oldschool — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Polish: oldskulowy — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Polish: staromodny — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Polish: staroszkolny — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Spanish: de vieja escuela — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Spanish: pasadista — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Spanish: a la antigua — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Spanish: chapado a la antigua — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Spanish: de la vieja escuela — characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Bulgarian: олдскул (oldskul) — of or relating to a style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; of or relating to hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music
  • Finnish: vanhan ajan — of or relating to a style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; of or relating to hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music
  • Finnish: vanhan koulukunnan — of or relating to a style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; of or relating to hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music
  • Finnish: vanhanaikainen — having conservative or traditional views on Christianity or politics
  • Finnish: vanhoillinen — having conservative or traditional views on Christianity or politics
  • Bulgarian: ста́ра шко́ла (stára škóla) — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Dutch: oude stempel — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Finnish: vanha koulukunta — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • French: ancienne école — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • French: vieille école — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • German: alte Schule — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Italian: vecchia scuola — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Polish: stary nurt — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Russian: ста́рая шко́ла (stáraja škóla) — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Spanish: vieja escuela — group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era
  • Bulgarian: олдскул (oldskul) — style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s as contrasted with newer styles of such music
  • Finnish: vanha koulukunta — style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s as contrasted with newer styles of such music