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Glite Dictionary
🏺 The distant past ⏳ Since ancient times
time out of mind

time out of mind

8.8
For a very long time that people cannot remember
  • idiom
  • Literature
translation icon : desde tiempos inmemoriales
  • This tradition has existed since time out of mind.

Examples

  • The castle has stood on this hill time out of mind.

  • People have been farming in this region for time out of mind.

  • Legends have been passed down here time out of mind.

  • These customs have been followed time out of mind.

  • Legends have been passed down here time out of mind.

  • The castle has stood on this hill time out of mind.

  • These customs have been followed time out of mind.

Synonyms

a long time
vstime out of mind
∞ 1.0

A period that lasts much longer than usual

points to duration reaching back to ancient times rather than vague length
in ages
vstime out of mind
  • Informal
28 2.4

For a very long time

refers to duration from ancient origins rather than recent long gaps
forever and a day
vstime out of mind
  • Archaic
1 5.3

For a very long time with no clear end

focuses on long time since ancient beginnings rather than endlessness
immemorially
vstime out of mind
  • Formal
9.9

Since a time so long ago that people cannot remember

emphasizes long duration rather than unknown or unrecorded origin

Antonyms

recently
∞ 1.0

A short time before now

now
4 1.0

The present moment when something is happening

How Long

time out of mind
  • Literature
8.8
long-lasting
27 3.7
for a while
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

time out of mind positive

Morphology

time + out + of + mind

The phrase can be parsed compositionally as 'time' that is 'out of' (beyond) 'mind' (i.e., beyond human memory), so there is a clear conceptual link to 'a very long time' or 'since ancient times'. However, the usage is somewhat archaic and requires mapping 'mind' to 'memory' and the idiomatic sense of 'out of' = 'beyond', so a B1 learner who merely knows the constituent words may not reliably infer the exact meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Time out of mind shows the image of a time pushed out of the mind, so people cannot remember when it began. That's why it means 'for a very long time'.