olden

«olden» in Mova's school dictionary: belonging to the long-ago past; «in the olden days» means… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (olden — used before a noun, mostly in «olden days» and «olden times»)

meaning for a pupil

Olden means belonging to the long-ago past; «in the olden days» means a long time ago. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday talk children and grandparents say «in the olden days» about life before phones, cars or electricity. In history lessons it is a friendly, informal way to say «in the past». Phrases: «in the olden days», «olden times».

examples

• In the olden days, people washed clothes by hand. tree →
• Grandad says in the olden days there were only three TV channels. tree →
• Children in olden times walked miles to school. tree →
• We dressed up as children from the olden days. tree →
• In olden days candles lit every house. tree →
• «Was that in the olden days, Gran?» tree →
• The olden times were not like the times we live in. tree →

note

Almost only used in «olden days» or «olden times». Old-fashioned, informal and a bit playful; in a history essay say «in the past» or give the date. «Olden days» can be vague: be clear which time you mean.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «olden» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.