hoary.

1. Grayish or white, especially from age or a covering resembling frost.

2. Very old, especially so familiar through repetition that it seems stale or unconvincing.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• hoary beard
• hoary head
• hoary branches

On the page

A hoary beard framed the old man’s face.

Hoary branches stood against the dawn.

The portrait showed a hoary head above a dark collar.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Forms: Comparative hoarier; superlative hoariest. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.