olden

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

«olden» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

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

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.

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «olden» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«olden» in the school dictionary on Mova free.

This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/olden/