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Glite Dictionary
to get old

to get old

80 5.8
To become boring or annoying after you hear it many times
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : hacerse pesado
  • I'm telling ya Darr, don't get old because it's a drag.

Examples

  • Don't get old.

    Anything for Jackson (2020)

  • As we get older, the discs tend to wear out, a condition called osteoarthritis.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Not just about your feelings? That gets old for everyone? But about anything at all.

    Blog text (5)

  • Frankly, the scene was getting old, not to mention us.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • We have done that before, and quite frankly, it's getting old to keep explaining it.

    Blog text (10)

  • And what happens is we get scared 'cause we get old, that's what happens.

  • You know, you're gonna get old one day.

    Here (2024)

  • Getting old is not for sissies.

    Elevator (2013)

  • I am getting old.

    Deep Blue Sea (1999)

  • You start to realize that many things get boring when you get old.

Synonyms

to tire
vsto get old
19 1.3

To stop feeling interested in something

is an informal expression for becoming tiresome through prolonged exposure
to bore
vsto get old
15 1.4

To make someone feel tired or not interested by being dull when you speak

means becoming tiresome mainly because of repeated exposure rather than sudden dislike
to wear thin
vsto get old
  • Informal
11 6.2

Lose people's trust or patience over time

highlights losing appeal or patience gradually from continued exposure
to weary
vsto get old
2 4.6

To begin to feel bored with something after doing it many times

focuses on becoming tiresome through repetition rather than just physical tiredness
to pall
vsto get old
1 7.2

To stop being interesting or enjoyable

expresses loss of interest specifically through prolonged repetition and annoyance

Antonyms

to refresh
50 2.8

Make someone or something feel full of energy and less tired

How Tiresome

to wear thin
  • Informal
11 6.2
to pall
1 7.2
to get old
  • Informal
80 5.8
to bore
15 1.4
dullness
1 3.7

Surface Forms

get old infinitive
got old past
gotten old past participle
getting old present participle
gets old third person singular

Morphology

get + old

The figurative meaning 'become tiresome' is a predictable metaphorical extension of 'get' (become) + 'old' (not new/fresh); a B1 learner who knows the constituents can often infer that something 'getting old' means losing novelty and appeal. However, the shift from literal aging to pragmatic boredom requires a conceptual leap and prior exposure for full confidence, so the relation is not fully compositional.

Etymology

The phrase get old comes from the simple idea that get means 'become' and old means 'age'. Imagine a new joke or song that slowly stops feeling new and becomes worn out. So, get old means 'to become tiresome or boring'.