Meaning

White, whitish, or greyish-white..

Definitions by Sense

1. White, whitish, or greyish-white.
2. White or grey with age.
3. (zoology) Of a pale silvery grey.
4. (botany) Covered with short, dense, greyish white hairs.
5. (figurative) Old or old-fashioned; trite.
6. (obsolete) Remote in time past.
7. (obsolete) Moldy; mossy; musty.

Example Sentences

As hoary frost with spangles doth attire, The mossy braunches of an oke halfe ded,

But hoary Winter, unadorn'd and bare, Dwells in the dire Retreat, and freezes there.

The old man bowed his hoary head in acquiescence.

And ever and anon a silent tear Stole down, and trickled from his hoary beard.

And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn, Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

My first thought was, he lied in every word, That hoary cripple, with malicious eye Askance to watch the working of his lie On mine […]

It was, however, most interesting work, and the moulders themselves were a decent crowd, never tired of making jokes about themselves such as the hoary one that moulders did not live long, which however ran counter to the other one that no germs could live in a foundry—the atmosphere was too foul.

In its God-like prime, The Simpsons attacked well-worn satirical fodder from unexpected angles, finding fresh laughs in the hoariest of subjects.

Word Forms

• hoarier
• hoariest

Synonyms for hoary

Related Words

When Should You Use Hoary?

Use hoary when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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