Bygone
/ˈbaɪˌɡɔn/
adjectivenounB2
Definition
Bygone describes things, times, or events that happened a long time ago and are now finished or no longer present. As a noun, "bygone" means a time in the past. It often talks about history or memories from long ago.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Adjective: Related to a time in the past that is finished or no longer exists
- •The museum has many artifacts from bygone centuries.
- •Bygone traditions are sometimes forgotten by younger generations.
- •They talked about bygone days when life was simpler.
Noun: A time in the past
- •Stories from a bygone are often full of mystery.
- •He often dreams about the bygone of his youth.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "bygone" like "old" or "past," but it feels a bit more formal and often means something far away in time, not just yesterday or last week.
- ✓Picture an old, dusty photo album showing scenes from a bygone era—times and people you cannot see anymore.
- ✓It's the feeling when you remember your childhood or old stories from grandparents—something that belongs to a different time.
- ✓Sounds like "BYE-gone" → imagine saying "bye" to time that has gone away and will not come back.
- ✓Think of old castles or ancient cities that belong to bygone days, places that remind us of history.
- ✓NOT like "recent" (close to now)—bygone means clearly in the past, far from the present.
- ✓NOT like "current" or "modern"—bygone is about what is gone and finished.
- ✓NOT like "old" in a simple way—bygone often has a feeling of something historic or no longer existing.
Try Other Words
- •Former: meaning previous or earlier (Use when talking about people or things that existed before)
- •Old: meaning not new or from a long time ago (Use in simple, everyday contexts)
- •Ancient: meaning very, very old (Use when the time is very far in the past)
- •Previous: meaning before now or before something else (Use in formal or official contexts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "by-" (near or side) + "gone" (past participle of go, meaning moved away or left)
- •Etymology: From Old English "by-gān," meaning to pass by or go past
- •Historical development: Originally used to describe something that has passed away or is no longer present; over time, it became an adjective and noun for past times or things
- •Modern usage: Used mostly in writing or formal speech to talk about old times, history, or things that are no longer relevant
Reflect & Connect
•How do you feel when you think about bygone times in your own life or culture?
•Can something from a bygone era still influence our lives today? How?
Fill in the blanks
1.The old village has many stories from the bygone ___ that visitors love to hear.
2.Bygone traditions often ___ as new customs take their place.
3.He felt nostalgic remembering the bygone ___ of his childhood.
4.Unlike modern technology, bygone inventions were ___ and simple.
5.People sometimes look back at bygone times with ___ feelings of happiness or sadness.
6.The museum displays objects from a bygone ___, showing how life used to be.
7.When we talk about bygone events, we usually mean things that happened ___ ago.