Dictionary of Old-fashioned Words: Vocabulary Building

What are Old-fashioned Words? -- Definition of 'Old-fashioned words': - Words and expressions that were common in the past but are passing out of ordinary use. - 'Old-fashioned words' are also known as 'archaic words'. Many people use the term 'old use' for the words and expressions that were common in the past but have passed out of ordinary use. - These words are mainly used in historical novels. They are also used to amuse people. -- Examples: Old-fashioned word: dandified [adjective] -- (of a man) too careful about his look or clothes - Old-fashioned word: vamoose [verb] -- to leave fast - Old-fashioned idiom -- blot your copybook -- to do something bad to spoil your good reputation among people - Old-fashioned phrasal verb -- buck up! -- used to tell somebody to make haste -- Detailed list of old-fashioned words, parts of speech they belong to, and their meanings are as follows: Old-fashioned Words - A -- abed [adverb]- in bed - abide [verb]- to stay or live in a place; Use in a sentence: Everybody must abide by the law. - abroad [adverb]- outside; outdoors - accidence [noun]- the part of grammar that deals with the change in the form of a word - accursed [adjective]- having a bad magic spell on something; Use in a sentence: They lived in the forest as if accursed. -- There is no escaping the sense of anxiety that we humans are accursed with. - adieu [exclamation]- goodbye; Use in a sentence: They bid adieu to him with mixed emotions. - addled [adjective]- confused / (of an egg) not fresh; Use in a sentence: He is not a silly and addled dude. - without further/more ado [idiom]- at once; immediately; Use in a sentence: Once it was sure that the area had been secured, the children were without more ado accompanied to the assembly hall. - adventurer / adventuress [noun]- a person who is very fond of going to unusual places or gaining new experiences; Use in a sentence: She is a hard-core adventuress, a travel journalist, who has traveled around the world. - aerodrome (airdrome) [noun]- a small airport; Use in a sentence: The extension of the runway was aimed at better services for private operators at the aerodrome. - affair [noun]- an strange or inexplicable thing - affright [verb]- to scare; to frighten; Use in a sentence: Let nothing affright you. - ague [noun]- malaria, dengue or other disease that causes fever and shivering - ail [verb]- to make somebody ill/sick - air hostess [noun]- a female flight attendant - alack [exclamation]- a word that is used to show you are sad or sorry; Use in a sentence: Alas and alack, only a few of those stories are all that funny. - alas [exclamation]- a word that is used to show you are sad or sorry; Use in a sentence: His experiments, alas, were flawed and had been mythologized. - be all up (with somebody) [idiom]- to be the end for somebody - almoner [noun]- a person employed by a hospital to handle financial and social problems of patients; Use in a sentence: They wanted a more active almoner, who could find innovative ways to help the poor. - alms [noun]- money, clothes, food, etc. given to beggars or poor people; Use in a sentence: They were injured in a stampede to receive alms being distributed by a charity. - in the altogether [idiom]- without wearing any clothes - Amerindian [noun]- Native American; Use in a sentence: The word 'guava' originates from the language of the Arawaks, an Amerindian people from the Caribbean. - ammo [noun]- ammunition; Use in a sentence: They have tested and run a lot of ammo through their rifles. - amour [noun]- a secret love affair - anon [adverb]- soon; early, immediately; in a moment - apoplexy [noun]- the sudden and complete loss of the ability to sense or move - apoplectic [adjective]- related to apoplexy - apparel [noun]-formal clothes; Use in a sentence: The US apparel industry is highly fragmented with many players. - applesauce [noun]- nonsense; Use in a sentence: All politics is applesauce!