time-tested

IPA/ˈtaɪmˌtes.tɪd/
IPA/ˈtaɪmˌtes.tɪd/

time-tested — adjective

1. shown by many years of use to give good results, so people continue to trust it.

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

shown by many years of use to give good results, so people continue to trust it.

Example

Ayesha used a time-tested recipe when the whole family came for dinner.

collocation: time-tested recipe

The village still trusts a time-tested system of sharing water in dry months.

collocation: time-tested system

Common collocations
  • time-tested method
  • time-tested recipe
  • time-tested system
  • time-tested approach
  • time-tested solution
Synonyms
  • proven

    broader and more neutral; can describe skill or evidence as well as methods

  • tried-and-true

    more informal and warmly approving than time-tested

  • reliable

    focuses on dependability in general, not specifically on long experience

Antonyms
  • unproven

    not yet shown by experience to work well

  • experimental

    new and still being tested rather than established

  • risky

    emphasizes uncertainty or possible failure

Grammar Patterns

time-tested + noun

be time-tested

Usage Note

Most often used for methods, systems, recipes, and other solutions that have worked well for a long time. It can appear after 'be', but it is especially common before a noun.

Common Mistakes

The museum is time-tested.
The museum uses a time-tested tour system.
the adjective usually describes a method, practice, or solution, not simply something old.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Time-tested' stresses that something has earned trust through many years of successful use. 'Proven' is broader and can describe a person, an idea, or evidence, without highlighting long history. 'Tried-and-true' is close in meaning but more informal and more openly approving. 'Reliable' only says that something can be depended on; it does not necessarily suggest a long record behind that trust. A time-tested method has lasted through repeated real use, while a reliable tool may simply work well now.

time-tested ↗proven ↗tried-and-truereliable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a time-tested method
  • a time-tested solution
  • a time-tested approach

Etymology

English

Formed in modern English from 'time' and 'tested', the word describes something that has shown its value by continuing to work well across many years rather than in a single short trial.

First known use

1821

1821, in the meaning defined above