Hoary
adjective /ˈhɔː.ri/ — Gray or white with age; old and overused
Definition
Gray or white with age — of hair, frost, or mist. Also used (slightly mockingly) for something so old and familiar that it has lost freshness: a hoary old joke, a hoary cliché.
Beyond the definition
Old in a way that shows. Hoary is age made visible — the grey of frost on a January morning, the grey of a very old beard. And for ideas, the dustiness of what has been said too many times.
Origin & history
From Old English 'hār' (grey, old, hoary) — related to German 'hehr' (august, sublime). Originally purely about whiteness and age; the 'overused' meaning came later.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
His hoary eyebrows gave him an air of authority that he had done nothing to earn.
The hoary old argument about nature vs nurture was being presented as if it were new.
Hoary frost on winter mornings — the delicate white coating that covers everything briefly before the sun reaches it.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Hoary” when the meaning fits your context: Gray or white with age — of hair, frost, or mist. Also used (slightly mockingly) for something so old and familiar that it has lost freshness: a hoary old joke, a hoary cliché.
Synonyms
grey, ancient, white-haired, venerable, time-worn
Antonyms
fresh, new, youthful
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Mist over Meadow
Low mist hangs over a meadow in a landscape after rain, creating a grey, aged, and familiar atmosphere.
The pervasive grey quality of the mist represents things that are old, familiar, and slightly worn, evoking the stale, aged quality suggested by the term.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Hoary" mean?
Hoary is adjective meaning: Gray or white with age; old and overused. Gray or white with age — of hair, frost, or mist. Also used (slightly mockingly) for something so old and familiar that it has lost freshness: a hoary old joke, a hoary cliché.
Where does the word "Hoary" come from?
From Old English 'hār' (grey, old, hoary) — related to German 'hehr' (august, sublime). Originally purely about whiteness and age; the 'overused' meaning came later.