idiom · neutral
behind the times
/bɪˈhaɪnd ðə taɪmz/be·HIND·the·TIMES
speakingtask2
not modern; out of date compared to current ideas or technology
Examples
“Some people still prefer typewriters and are behind the times.”
“It's unfair to call older generations behind the times; they experienced different technologies.”
“The company's products seemed behind the times compared to competitors.”
Band 8 sentence
“Calling an entire generation 'behind the times' overlooks the social and economic context that shaped their choices.”
Collocations
- be considered behind the times
- feel / seem behind the times
Word family
behind preposition/adverbout of date adjective (similar)
Common mistakes
behind the time→behind the times
be behind times→be behind the times
Say it for a higher band
5old-fashioned→6out of date→7+behind the times
Synonyms
old-fashioned
Easily confused
old-fashioned
“Her clothes are a bit old-fashioned.”
Related words
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In Time
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