old school
UK/ˈəʊl(d)skuːl/US/ˈoʊl(d)ˌskul/
old school noun: preceded by the: a group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; also, a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era, remembered either for its inferiority to the current method, or for its superiority over the new way.
Noun
old school (uncountable)
- Preceded by the: a group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; also, a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era, remembered either for its inferiority to the current method, or for its superiority over the new way.
- Family experts are advocating a change away from the old school, advising parents not to medicate behavioural problems.
- My mom’s a good baker because she’s of the old school. She’d never buy ready-made cookie dough.
- Antonyms:
- new school
- A style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; specifically (often old skool), hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music.
- Rap is not one particular thing. Just like there are many different types of music, there are different types of rap. Hardcore, like Ice Cube, or OldSchool, like the Sugarhill Gang, are two facets on the gem we call hip hop.1992 October 5, The Invisible Man, “[W]hat is all this fake shit”, in alt.rap (Usenet)
Adjective (1)
old school (comparative more old school, superlative most old school)
- Now often old-school: characteristic of a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era, remembered either for its inferiority to the current method, or for its superiority over the new way.
- That teacher’s old-school methods aren’t effective. They’re just annoying.
- Man, I love that jacket; it’s so old school.
- Synonyms:
- OG, outdated, out of date, out of fashion, anachronistic, antediluvial, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, archaic
- Antonyms:
- new school, new-school
- Of or relating to a style of popular music regarded as more old-fashioned or traditional, or not following newer trends; specifically (often old skool), of or relating to hip-hop or rap music of the late 1970s and 1980s (or more recent music of this style) as contrasted with newer styles of such music.
- Also look out for a PHAT PHAT oldskool style tune on Jemini [the Gifted One]'s album set to drop in the next couple of weeks. It uses the Love Unlimited 'Strange Games and Things' break, and comes on with the old skool rhymes believe …1995 April 14, ed [pseudonym], “Low Down on New Tunes dropping soon”, in rec.music.hip-hop (Usenet)
- Antonyms:
- new school, new-school, newskool, new skool, nu skool
- Chiefly in the form Old School: having conservative or traditional views on Christianity or politics.
- Local politicians assume various appellations, such as New School and Old School Democrats, Snyderites, Clintonians, and many others, mostly derived from the name or principles of some popular demagogue.1816, “an Old Scene Painter” [pseudonym], The Emigrant’s Guide; or, A Picture of America: […], London: […] W[illiam] Clowes, […] for W[illiam] Simpkin and R[ichard] Marshall, […], →OCLC, footnote *...
- [W]e both agree that you are defrauding some honest man of his just due. I recommend that you form an acquaintance, with a view to prospective results for life, with some well-settled, Old-School Presbyterian clergyman, and send me some of the cake.1862 (date written), Ida Husted Harper, quoting Theodore Tilton, “Mob Experience—Civil War. 1861–1862.”, in The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony […], volume I, Indianapolis, Ind.; Kansas City, Mo....
Adjective (2) capitalized: Old School
Old School (not comparable)
- Alternative letter-case form of old school (“having conservative or traditional views on Christianity or politics”).
- Local politicians assume various appellations, such as New School and Old School Democrats, Snyderites, Clintonians, and many others, mostly derived from the name or principles of some popular demagogue.1816, “an Old Scene Painter” [pseudonym], The Emigrant’s Guide; or, A Picture of America: […], London: […] W[illiam] Clowes, […] for W[illiam] Simpkin and R[ichard] Marshall, […], →OCLC, footnote *...
Examples of old school in a sentence
- Did I hear from the fireside armchair the bow-wow of the old school defending its drugs?1906 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “The Doctor’s Dilemma”, in The Doctor’s Dilemma, Getting Married, & The Shewing-Up of Blanco...
- Pathetic as its passing is, one cannot honestly regret the old school.1915, Thomas Burke, “An Entertainment Night: Round the Halls”, in Nights in Town: A London Autobiography, London: George Allen & Unwin […]...
Synonyms of old school
- OG
- outdated
- out of date
- out of fashion
- anachronistic
- antediluvian
- antiquated
- antique
- archaic
- backward
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of old school
| comparative | more old school |
|---|---|
| superlative | most old school |
| alternative form | oldschool |
| alternative form | old-school |
| alternative form | Old School |
| alternative form | oldskool |
| alternative form | old skool |
Origin of old school
The noun is derived from old + school (“followers of a particular doctrine; particular doctrine or way of thinking”), probably a shortening of old school of thinking, old school of thought, or some similar phrase. The adjective is derived from the attributive form of the noun.
Words formed from old school
Questions about old school
- What does old school mean?
- Old school means preceded by the: a group of people characterized by being conservative or traditional; also, a method for accomplishing a task, a style, or a way of thinking that was employed in a former era, remembered either for its inferiority to the current method, or for its superiority over the new way.
- How do you use old school in a sentence?
- Did I hear from the fireside armchair the bow-wow of the old school defending its drugs?
- What part of speech is old school?
- Old school can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce old school?
- Old school is pronounced /ˈəʊl(d)skuːl/ (UK).
Words near old school in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: old school (page history and authors); Old School (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-old school.ogg.
Cite this entry: “old school.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/old_school. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.