antic

American  

[an-tik] / ˈæn tɪk /

noun

1. Usually antics.

   1. a playful trick or prank; caper.

   2. a grotesque, fantastic, or ludicrous gesture, act, or posture.

2. Archaic.

   1. an actor in a grotesque or ridiculous presentation.

   2. a buffoon; clown.

3. Obsolete.

   1. a grotesque theatrical presentation; ridiculous interlude.

   2. a grotesque or fantastic sculptured figure, as a gargoyle.

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adjective

1. ludicrous; funny.

2. fantastic; odd; grotesque.

   an antic disposition.

verb (used without object)

anticked, anticking

1. Obsolete. to perform antics; caper.

antic British  

/ ˈæntɪk /

noun

1. archaic an actor in a ludicrous or grotesque part; clown; buffoon

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adjective

1. archaic fantastic; grotesque

Other Word Forms

• antically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of antic

1520–30; earlier antike, antique < Italian antico ancient (< Latin antīcus, antīquus; see antique), apparently taken to mean “grotesque,” as used in descriptions of fantastic figures found in Roman ruins

Explanation

An antic is a prank to the extreme. It’s outrageous, but it’s usually meant to be funny. When the senior class steals the principal’s car and manages to get it inside the gym, the antic may be condemned by the school, but everyone else probably thinks it’s hilarious. The noun antic is most commonly used in the plural form, as in “the coach was growing tired of his star player’s silly antics after scoring.” Sometimes antics can lean toward the not-so-funny side as well. Really ridiculous behavior that is more foolish than funny can also be called antics. Antic can also be used an as adjective, as in "her antic stand-up routine had everyone rolling in the aisles." It more infrequently can be used as a verb meaning "to act like a clown."

Example Sentences

Twelve-year-old Nico Antic had been jumping off a rock ledge with friends on 18 January when he was attacked by what authorities suspected was a bull shark.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

Born in Belgrade, Antic studied law and started working as a university professor in 1975.

From Reuters • Feb. 18, 2022

Antic, who left the league this offseason to play for Fenerbahçe in Turkey, spoke to a Croatian newspaper about the incident earlier this summer.

From The Guardian • Oct. 12, 2015

That happened to Young and his family on Sunday afternoon, when they hopped in their car and ran into a traffic jam from Atlantic Antic, an annual street festival in the neighborhood.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2015

A thought strikes the physician: “Reverse the bed, so that Death no longer stands at the head;” but “the Antic passed from couch-foot back to pillow,” and is master of the situation again.

From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Berdoe, Edward

Related Words

• joke
• shenanigan
• trick