Standard Lemma guide

oldness

noun · 3 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.

  • UK: /ˈəʊldnəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state of being old; age.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • 1795, Testimony at the trial of Sarah Sims for grand larceny at the Old Bailey, London, 20 May, 1795, I know it to be the property that the child wore at the time that I missed her, by the oldness of it, and the mending of it. I have not the least doubt about it.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the quality of being old; the opposite of newness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: newness

Broader terms: age

Narrower terms: obsoleteness, superannuation, ancientness, antiquity, old-fashionedness, vintage, time of origin, hoariness

3

noun

Meaning 3

the opposite of youngness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: youngness

Broader terms: age

Narrower terms: agedness, senescence, senility, longevity, seniority, staleness

History

Etymology

From Middle English oldnesse, from Old English ealdnes, ealdnyss (“oldness; age”), equivalent to old + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Esperanto: maljuneco — state of being old
  • Finnish: vanhuus — state of being old
  • French: vieillesse — state of being old
  • Galician: vellez — state of being old
  • German: Alter — state of being old
  • Ancient Greek: γῆρας (gêras) — state of being old
  • Hungarian: öregség — state of being old
  • Icelandic: elli — state of being old
  • Ido: oldeso — state of being old
  • Irish: aostacht — state of being old
  • Italian: vecchiaia — state of being old
  • Kashmiri: پرٛانؠر (prānyar) — state of being old
  • Central Kurdish: پیرێتی (pîrêtî) — state of being old
  • Latvian: vecība — state of being old
  • Latvian: vecums — state of being old
  • Marathi: जुनेपणा (junepṇā) — state of being old
  • Marathi: म्हातारपण (mhātārpaṇ) — state of being old
  • Polish: starość — state of being old
  • Portuguese: velhice — state of being old
  • Russian: ста́рость (stárostʹ) — state of being old
  • Spanish: vejez — state of being old
  • Turkish: yaşlılık — state of being old
  • Ottoman Turkish: كبر (kiber) — state of being old