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Glite Dictionary
retro look

retro look

1 3.9
A style of clothes or home that copies old fashions
  • noun
translation icon : estilo retro
  • It wasn't just the Henson touch (though that helped), or the retro look (that's nostalgia).

Examples

  • Her outfit featured a retro look, reminiscent of styles popular in the 1960s.

  • Many people love the 80s retro look with neon colors and oversized jackets.

  • Oh wow, is this the retro look or what?

  • -It's just a very retro look.

    A Mighty Wind (2003)

  • Love this sort of retro look.

    Blog text (2)

  • Perfect if you're trying to achieve that retro look or even if you're just in the market for a cute new outfit.

    Blog text (20)

  • Although a few Nagels and some more chrome in the furniture would give you a nice 80s retro look, if you like that.

    Blog text (1)

  • Built in the '30s, the low-slung, single-story building that the firm calls home has a distinctively retro look.

    Academic text (2007)

  • I think it's no coincidence that your praise of MLB changes is related to how many MLB teams have reverted back to a more retro look.

    Blog text (27)

  • The cafe's decor has a charming retro look, with vintage furniture and classic posters.

Synonyms

retro
vsretro look
9 5.0

A style that copies clothes or design from the recent past

is broader, imitating fashions from any past era rather than only mid twentieth century
old-fashioned look
vsretro look
4.7

A style that looks like it is from earlier times

is used for a chosen revival of past styles rather than plain outdated appearance

Antonyms

modern
234 3.5

Relating to new styles in art or music that break from old forms

How Retro

retro look
1 3.9
modern
234 3.5

Surface Forms

retro look singular
retro looks plural

Morphology

retro + look

The meaning 'a style inspired by the past' is directly compositional from 'retro' (recalling past fashions) + 'look' (appearance), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning. This simple noun + noun/adjective + noun pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making it immediately understandable at B1 level.

Etymology

The phrase retro look comes from retro meaning 'back' and look meaning appearance, so it creates a picture of someone choosing clothes or furniture that seem to come from an earlier time. That's why retro look means a style like things from the past.