bygone C2+ Topic:Time US /ˈbaɪˌɡɔn/ UK /ˈbaɪˌɡɒn/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj belonging to an earlier time that has passed She spoke fondly of bygone days at the seaside. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · belonging to an earlier... pastformerdepartedoldenerstwhileancientobsolete ↔ Opposites presentcurrentfuturemodern Word family Related forms bygone Etymology AI details A compound of by (in the sense 'past, gone by') + gone, the past participle of go. Both elements are native, from Old English bi and gan. bi Middle English gan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Time External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bygone **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbaɪˌɡɔn/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbaɪˌɡɒn/ ## Meanings 1. belonging to an earlier time that has passed ## Examples - She spoke fondly of bygone days at the seaside. ## Synonyms - past - former - departed - olden - erstwhile - ancient - obsolete ## Antonyms - present - current - future - modern ## Related Forms - by - gone ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bi - Root: gan ## Etymology A compound of by (in the sense 'past, gone by') + gone, the past participle of go. Both elements are native, from Old English bi and gan. ## AI Etymology Bygone is an adjective and noun meaning "belonging to an earlier time that has passed". Historically, it is a compound of by (in the sense 'past, gone by') + gone, the past participle of go. Both elements are native, from Old English bi and gan. The visible construction is part of the etymology: bygone is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The semantic history matters here: the earlier use is the starting point, and the modern sense, "belonging to an earlier time that has passed", is the later or specialized English value. The historical chain links Old English bi with Old English gan. Close English family members include by, and gone. ## Topics - Time markdown