VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

old woman

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌəʊld ˈwʊmən/
US/ˌoʊld ˈwʊmən/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A woman who is advanced in years.

    Grammar: Plural is old women; the plural of woman changes its vowel sound.

    Patterns

    • an old woman who ...
    • an old woman with something

    An old woman held the door open for us at the station.

    The old woman next door has lived in the same house for sixty years.

    Two old women sat on the bench feeding the pigeons.

  2. nounsingularinformalold-fashionedBritish

    Someone's wife, girlfriend or mother, spoken of casually and a little roughly, usually with the word the or my.

    Grammar: Used with a possessive: my old woman, his old woman.

    Patterns

    • my old woman
    • the old woman

    He said his old woman would not let him stay out late.

    I must ask the old woman before I agree to anything.

    My old woman makes the best stew in the county.

  3. nouncountabledisapprovingoffensiveold-fashioned

    A man seen as fussy, timid or overly cautious, in an insulting comparison.

    Grammar: Used as a put-down for a man: he fusses like an old woman.

    Patterns

    • fuss like an old woman

    Stop fussing like an old woman; the plan is fine.

    Older speakers sometimes called a nervous man an old woman, which now sounds sexist.

    The coach was criticized for calling his players old women.

Word forms

pluralold women

Common combinations

a frail old woman
A frail old woman needed help carrying her bags.
a kindly old woman
A kindly old woman gave the lost child some bread.
help an old woman
He stopped to help an old woman cross the street.
a wise old woman
The tale features a wise old woman living in the forest.
my old woman
My old woman is knitting socks for the whole family.

Synonyms and how they differ

elderly woman
Elderly woman is more polite and neutral, and the safer choice in formal writing.
senior
Senior is a courteous label used in services and offers, and it does not say whether the person is male or female.
crone
Crone is literary or insulting and suggests an ugly, witch-like old woman.
granny
Granny is affectionate and informal, and it often implies a grandmother.

Opposites

young womangirl

Word family

old adjective
having lived or existed for a long time
woman noun
an adult female person
old man noun
the male counterpart
oldster noun
an older person, informal

Commonly confused: old woman or elderly woman?

old woman vs elderly woman

Elderly woman is a polite description, while old woman can sound blunt or, in some uses, disrespectful.

Practice

Which phrase is the most polite way to describe an aged female customer in a company report?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “old woman”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words