antiquity
Americannoun
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antiquities
plural
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the quality of being ancient; ancientness.
a bowl of great antiquity.
-
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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myPerspectives 10.1
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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.
See Examples For:
Earlier this week, the prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry and literature were announced in Stockholm, with the latter going to Canadian poet Anne Carson on Thursday for her modern twists on Greek mythology and antiquity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Located in the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, Italy, the sumptuously painted, illusionistic chamber depicts the era’s civic society and figures from classical antiquity and myth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
"Almost everything from antiquity has been destroyed," Seiler said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Egyptians in antiquity engaged in sword combat for warfare, but also for competition — Romans utilized swords in gladiator events, rituals and duels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
A historian, someone who can explain its importance, its antiquity.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
In Europe and elsewhere, co-ordinated, multi-national police and customs operations take place regularly, seizing large numbers of stolen antiquities and arresting some of the traffickers.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Tareq Abu Dayyeh sells craftwork, souvenirs and antiquities in Gaza.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The stolen antiquities follow other types of bounty the RSF has ransacked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
"A whole system was built around this temple," which dates to between the first century BC and the second century AD, said Myriam Ziade, regional antiquities official with the culture ministry.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Paupardin ran to the person unfortunate enough to now be in charge—the curator of Egyptian antiquities, a man named Georges Bénédite.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
