Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very old; ancient: Used to describe something that has existed for a very long time and often seems old-fashioned or venerable.
   • Grayish-white; covered with a grayish or whitish substance: Often used to describe hair, fur, or a surface that appears white or gray, typically due to age or frost.
   • (Biology) Covered with dense, short, whitish hairs: A technical term in botany or zoology for surfaces, like leaves or insects, covered with fine, pale hairs.

Examples of Usage

• Describing something ancient or old-fashioned:
  • The historian debunked the hoary myth about the founding of the city.
  • He told a hoary old joke that everyone had heard before.
• Describing gray or white hair, or a frosty appearance:
  • The old sage had a long, hoary beard.
  • The hoary frost covered the grass in the early morning.
• Describing a biological characteristic:
  • The hoary leaves of the plant help reflect sunlight.

Advanced Usage

• "Hoary with age": A literary phrase emphasizing great antiquity.
  • The castle walls were hoary with age and covered in ivy.
• "Hoary-headed": Having gray or white hair, often implying wisdom or venerability.
  • The hoary-headed elder addressed the council.

Variants and Related Words

• Hoar (adj, noun): An archaic or poetic synonym for hoary, meaning frost or grayish-white color.
  • The trees were covered in hoar frost.
• Hoariness (n): The state or quality of being hoary.
  • The hoariness of his beard was a mark of his great age.

Synonyms

• Ancient: Belonging to the very distant past.
• Venerable: Accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.
• Frosted: Covered with or as if with frost.
• Grizzled: Having or streaked with gray hair.

Antonyms

• Young: Having lived or existed for only a short time.
• Modern: Relating to the present or recent times.
• Dark-haired: Having hair that is not gray or white.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A hoary chestnut: A joke, story, or subject that is very old and no longer amusing or interesting.
  • His speech was full of hoary chestnuts that failed to impress the young audience.

Adjective

1. covered with fine whitish hairs or down
2. ancient
   • hoary jokes
3. showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
   • whose beard with age is hoar-Coleridge
   • nodded his hoary head