antique

[ an-teek ]

adjective

1. of or belonging to the past; not modern.

   Synonyms: archaic, bygone

2. dating from a period long ago:

   antique furniture.

   Synonyms: obsolescent, obsolete, old

3. noting or pertaining to automobiles approximately 25 years old or more.
4. in the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; antiquated.
5. of or belonging to the ancient Greeks and Romans.
6. (of paper) neither calendered nor coated and having a rough surface.
7. ancient ¹.

noun

1. any work of art, piece of furniture, decorative object, or the like, created or produced in a former period, or, according to U.S. customs laws, 100 years before date of purchase.
2. the antique style, usually Greek or Roman, especially in art.
3. Printing. a style of type.

verb (used with object)

, an·tiqued, an·ti·quing.

1. to make or finish (something, especially furniture) in imitation of antiques.
2. to emboss (an image, design, letters, or the like) on paper or fabric.

verb (used without object)

, an·tiqued, an·ti·quing.

1. to shop for or collect antiques:

   She spent her vacation antiquing in Boston.

antique

/ ænˈtiːk /

noun

1. 1. a decorative object, piece of furniture, or other work of art created in an earlier period, that is collected and valued for its beauty, workmanship, and age
   2. ( as modifier )

      an antique shop

2. any object made in an earlier period
3. the antique
   the style of ancient art, esp Greek or Roman art, or an example of it

adjective

1. made in or in the style of an earlier period
2. of or belonging to the distant past, esp of or in the style of ancient Greece or Rome
3. informal.
   old-fashioned; out-of-date
4. archaic.
   aged or venerable
5. (of paper) not calendered or coated; having a rough surface

verb

1. tr to give an antique appearance to

Other Words From

• an·tiquely adverb
• an·tiqueness noun
• pseudo·an·tique adjective noun
• quasi-an·tique adjective
• suban·tique adjective
• suban·tiquely adverb
• suban·tiqueness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of antique¹

1520–30; earlier also anticke (< Middle French antique ) < Latin antīiquus, antīicus in front, existing earler, ancient; antic, posticum

Word History and Origins

Origin of antique¹

C16: from Latin antīquus ancient, from ante before

Synonym Study

See ancient ¹.

Example Sentences

The library in Williamsburg itself is illuminated with antique filament bulbs and everything inside is of the past or a nod to it.

From The Daily Beast

Fully when I got that call I was at an antique mall with my mom.

From The Daily Beast

She was in a Chicago antique mall with her mom when she found out she got the audition.

From The Daily Beast

For $4, he bought an antique picture frame and everything it contained.

From The Daily Beast

We need to talk about economic fairness, even justice—an antique-sounding but still important word—not economic diversity.

From The Daily Beast

It was an antique, half-Gothic, half-Saracenic looking edifice, which they now approached.

From Project Gutenberg

It is architecturally more pleasing and its windows are among the finest examples of antique stained glass in the Kingdom.

From Project Gutenberg

Pictures, tapestry, antique articles of furniture which had been in the house for centuries still remained.

From Project Gutenberg

On the front of the house was an ancient sun-dial, and across it, in antique letters, the legend "Time will show."

From Project Gutenberg

The germs of a new life, says Dr. Lbke, were in embryo in the dying antique world.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• antiquity
• artifact
• heirloom
• relic