Retro
Metroid Prime creators
Retro describes styles, fashions, or objects that imitate or revive those from the recent past—typically the mid-twentieth century.
A retro diner evokes the 1950s; retro video games recall 8-bit graphics.
Unlike vintage, which refers to actual old items, retro suggests modern things designed to look old: The car has a retro feel but modern engineering.
Quality from past eras
- throwbackReturn to ancestral type
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- kitschTasteless, garish art
- mid-centuryHalfway through a hundred
neon · chrome · pastels · groovy · mod · disco · psychedelic · atomic
Arched passageway or gaming hall
- 8-bitVintage computing standard
- pixelSmallest display unit
- joystickTilting lever for control
- cartridgeSealed container for supplies
Pac-Man · Mario · side-scroller · chiptune · sprite · quarter · NES · Sega
Synthetic resin plastic
- cassetteMagnetic audio cartridge
- VHSAnalog tape format
- typewriterMechanical printing keyboard
- WalkmanPortable personal cassette player
boombox · CRT · Polaroid · 8-track · phonograph · reel-to-reel · dial-up · antenna
Nostalgic popular songs
- doo-wopFifties vocal harmony genre
- MotownDetroit's soulful moniker
- rockabillyHillbilly-influenced early rock
- swingSuspended recreational seat
bebop · soul · funk · disco · synth-pop · new-wave · vinyl · 45rpm
vintage
Quality from past eras
mid-century · neon · chrome · pastels · groovy · mod · disco · psychedelic · atomic · streamlined
arcade
Arched passageway or gaming hall
cartridge · Pac-Man · Mario · side-scroller · chiptune · sprite · quarter · NES · Sega · Galaga
vinyl
Synthetic resin plastic
- cassetteMagnetic audio cartridge
- VHSAnalog tape format
- typewriterMechanical printing keyboard
Walkman · boombox · CRT · Polaroid · 8-track · phonograph · reel-to-reel · dial-up · antenna · gramophone
oldies
Nostalgic popular songs
- doo-wopFifties vocal harmony genre
- MotownDetroit's soulful moniker
- rockabillyHillbilly-influenced early rock
swing · bebop · soul · funk · disco · synth-pop · new-wave · vinyl · 45rpm · hi-fi
bell-bottoms
Flared-leg trousers
- miniskirtVery brief skirt
- polyesterSynthetic petroleum-based fabric
- flapperTwenties unconventional young woman
pearls · suspenders · fedora · bouffant · pompadour · headscarf · pedal-pushers · brooches · cufflinks
- art stylesimpressionism, surrealism, cubism, realism, pop art
- design stylesart deco, Art Nouveau, art nouveau, Bauhaus, minimalism
Retrofuturistic
Suggestive of times ahead
forward-looking · modern · contemporary · avant-garde · cutting-edge
Retrostate-of-the-art
Most technologically advanced available
high-tech · next-generation · cutting-edge · next-gen · bleeding-edge
Retroinnovative
Introducing new ideas
original · groundbreaking · revolutionary · experimental · novel
- retro gamingPlaying older video games
- retro toysOld-fashioned children's amusements
- in retrospectConsidering past events now
- retro styleImitation of past aesthetics
- retro vibesPast-era aesthetic atmosphere
- retro designIntentionally dated aesthetics
retro-, retrograde, retrogress, retrogression, retrogressive, retrofit, retrospect, retrospection, retrospective