antiquity
Americannoun
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the quality of being ancient; ancientness.
a bowl of great antiquity.
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ancient times; former ages.
the splendor of antiquity.
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the period of history before the Middle Ages.
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the peoples, nations, tribes, or cultures of ancient times.
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Usually antiquities. something belonging to or remaining from ancient times, as monuments, relics, or customs.
noun
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the quality of being ancient or very old
a vase of great antiquity
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the far distant past, esp the time preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
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the people of ancient times collectively; the ancients
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of antiquity
1350–1400; Middle English antiquite < Anglo-French < Latin antīquitās, equivalent to antīqu ( us ) old ( see antique) + -itās -ity
Explanation
If you find an antiquity, call a museum: you just found something very old. Antiquity can also mean the idea of oldness. The word antique should be a clue to the meaning of this word, which refers to things that are extremely old or ancient. This isn't grandparent old — this is really old, like hundreds or even thousands of years old. People also use this word to compare old ways of doing things to new ways: you could say an old-fashioned idea is an antiquity that goes against modernity (newer ideas and ways of doing things). Antiquity can also mean the time before the Middle Ages.
Vocabulary lists containing antiquity
The Hobbit
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 1
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The new finds of Homo teeth from 2.6 -- 2.8 million year old sediments -- reported in this paper -- confirms the antiquity of our lineage," said Brian Villmoare, lead author and ASU alumnus.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
And yet here comes Simon Armitage, the poet laureate of the U.K., with his stunning new verse translation, not as a vandal of antiquity but as a lucid accomplice to its endurance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
In my research, I’ve studied how artists from antiquity to the present have used gestures of turning away to signify human confrontations with the most difficult aspects of life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
That the statue survived at all is exceptional: in antiquity, bronze was a valuable raw material routinely melted down for weapons, coins or everyday objects.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Now I turn to a parallel intellectual journey: the growth in understanding of the antiquity, diversity, complexity, and technological sophistication of Indian societies.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
