fogram: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Extremely rare / archaic / obsoleteHistorical, literary, humorous (when used intentionally for effect)
Quick answer
What does “fogram” mean?
A person, idea, or thing that is extremely old-fashioned, antiquated, or out-of-date.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A person, idea, or thing that is extremely old-fashioned, antiquated, or out-of-date.
Specifically denotes someone or something so outdated as to be considered a relic of a bygone era, often with a connotation of being humorously or pitifully obsolete. It can describe a person clinging to obsolete customs or an object no longer in practical use.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Equally archaic in both varieties. No contemporary regional distinction exists, as the word has fallen out of living usage entirely.
Connotations
In any modern usage, it would be perceived as a deliberately chosen, perhaps whimsical or erudite, archaism.
Frequency
Effectively zero frequency in contemporary corpora for both BrE and AmE.
Grammar
How to Use “fogram” in a Sentence
[be] a fogram[consider/regard/view] someone as a fogram[behave/live] like a fogramVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “fogram” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A - The word is not attested as a verb in standard usage.
American English
- N/A - The word is not attested as a verb in standard usage.
adverb
British English
- N/A - The word is not attested as an adverb in standard usage.
American English
- N/A - The word is not attested as an adverb in standard usage.
adjective
British English
- His views on etiquette were positively fogram.
- They discovered a fogram pamphlet in the attic from the 1790s.
American English
- She dismissed the policy as a fogram notion from a bygone era.
- The museum had a collection of fogram machinery.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used. If used, would be a humorous, derogatory label for a colleague resistant to new technology or processes.
Academic
Only encountered in historical linguistics or studies of 18th/19th-century literature as an example of obsolete lexicon.
Everyday
Not used in contemporary everyday speech. Its use would be marked and require explanation.
Technical
No technical application.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “fogram”
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “fogram”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “fogram”
- Misspelling as 'fogrum' or 'phogram'.
- Using it as a synonym for a boring person (it specifically denotes outdatedness).
- Assuming it is a common, understood term in modern conversation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it is an archaic word. It was used in the 18th and 19th centuries but has since fallen completely out of common usage. You will only find it in old texts or used very deliberately for stylistic effect.
A 'fogey' (or 'fogy') is a living, albeit old-fashioned, word for a person who is behind the times. A 'fogram' is an archaic synonym for fogey, but its use today implies the word itself is as outdated as the person it describes.
It is not recommended. While it demonstrates knowledge of rare vocabulary, an examiner is more likely to view it as an unnatural, forced archaism. It is safer to use contemporary synonyms like 'old-fashioned', 'a relic', or 'a dinosaur'.
Etymologically, it is related to 'fogey'. The '-gram' part is not related to the unit of weight or a message (as in telegram), but is likely a suffix formation. The exact origin is obscure, but it is not a compound of the modern words 'fog' and 'gram'.
A person, idea, or thing that is extremely old-fashioned, antiquated, or out-of-date.
Fogram is usually historical, literary, humorous (when used intentionally for effect) in register.
Fogram: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfəʊɡrəm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfoʊɡrəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[As] old as a fogram”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine an OLD FOGey weaRING an antique, dusty gramophone (GRAM) on his head – an OLD FOGRAM.
Conceptual Metaphor
A PERSON IS A DISUSED ARTEFACT / AN IDEA IS A RELIC
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'fogram' be MOST appropriately used today?