Bygone

/ˈbaɪɡɒn/ · adjective

Meaning

Having been or happened in the distant past..

Definitions by Sense

1. Having been or happened in the distant past.
2. (usually in the plural) An event that happened in the past.
3. (usually in the plural) An object from the past; a relic, antique, etc.

Example Sentences

I had thought (Sir) to haue held my peace, vntill You had drawne Oathes from him, not to ſtay: you (Sir) Charge him too coldly. Tell him, you are ſure All in Bohemias well: this ſatisfaction, The ''by-gone-day proclaym'd, ſay this to him, He's beat from his beſt ward.

Near by he could see the thicket of raspberry canes, growing tall and close like a tropical jungle, in whose shadow he had played with the Boy on bygone mornings.

Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of their blast in such conditions.

The modern, glass-fronted buildings surrounding the massive skyscraper Taipei 101 in the Xinyi District suggest a shift toward cleaner, starker development, but a trip to older parts of the city reveals hidden corners untouched by modernity. The oldest section, Wanhua, with its winding corridors and quiet decay, offers a glimpse of the city’s bygone days. At its bustling heart is the busy Longshan Temple. I bump past a flurry of tourists, worshipers and monks selling prayer beads outside the gates to reach the controlled chaos within, where hundreds of faithful light incense and present offerings at myriad shrines to Buddha and other deities.

Jennie Fox watched it with thoughtful pleasure, and the rest were chatting and telling of bygones, enjoying a glass of egg-hot; it being a custom for them to partake of this beverage on this particular night.

And now just as the Victorians collected the minute objects with which to fill these houses, so today grown-ups are paying large sums for these bygones, while the children are given more modern houses to play with.

Synonyms for bygone

Antonyms for bygone

Related Words

Word Forms

• by-gone
• bygones

Usage Notes

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