antique
Americanadjective
-
of or belonging to the past; not modern.
-
dating from a period long ago.
antique furniture.
- Synonyms:
- obsolescent, obsolete, old
-
noting or pertaining to automobiles approximately 25 years old or more.
-
in the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; antiquated.
-
of or belonging to the ancient Greeks and Romans.
-
(of paper) neither calendered nor coated and having a rough surface.
noun
-
antiques
plural
-
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.
-
the antique style, usually Greek or Roman, especially in art.
-
Printing. a style of type.
verb (used with object)
-
antiques,
present (3rd person singular)
-
antiqued,
past participle, past
-
antiquing
present participle
-
to make or finish (something, especially furniture) in imitation of antiques.
-
to emboss (an image, design, letters, or the like) on paper or fabric.
verb (used without object)
-
antiques,
present (3rd person singular)
-
antiqued,
past participle, past
-
antiquing
present participle
noun
-
-
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
-
( as modifier )
an antique shop
-
-
any object made in an earlier period
-
the style of ancient art, esp Greek or Roman art, or an example of it
adjective
-
made in or in the style of an earlier period
-
of or belonging to the distant past, esp of or in the style of ancient Greece or Rome
-
informal old-fashioned; out-of-date
-
archaic aged or venerable
-
(of paper) not calendered or coated; having a rough surface
verb
Synonym Usage
See ancient 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
antiquenessnoun
-
subantiquenessnoun
-
pseudoantiqueadjective
-
quasi-antiqueadjective
-
subantiqueadjective
-
antiquelyadverb
-
subantiquelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
antiquesimple
-
antiquessimple
-
have antiquedperfect
-
has antiquedperfect
-
am antiquingprogressive
-
are antiquingprogressive
-
is antiquingprogressive
-
have been antiquingperfect progressive
-
has been antiquingperfect progressive
Past
-
antiquedsimple
-
had antiquedperfect
-
was antiquingprogressive
-
were antiquingprogressive
-
had been antiquingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of antique
1520–30; earlier also anticke (< Middle French antique ) < Latin antīiquus, antīicus in front, existing earler, ancient; cf. antic, posticum
Explanation
An antique is an old-fashioned thing, like a lamp from the sixties. Anything antique is old or at least old-ish. When you see the word antique, you know you're not going to hear about anything new or young. An antique is a nice, old piece of furniture, that's usually been well taken care of and costs more than something new. Shopping for antiques is called antiquing. Outside of antique shops, calling anything antique means it's out-of-date and useless — so if you wanted to be mean, you could call your grandparents antiques.
Vocabulary lists containing antique
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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:
She envisioned that upstairs space as a playroom for the children, but an antique pool table from her father took up much of the available area.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
His wife sells his other finds, such as "an antique or piece of jewellery", on eBay.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Kelbaugh has since 1971 scoured antique shows and flea markets for images of Black Americans which in the early days few collectors were interested in.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Kurt Sawitskas has already spent weeks analyzing the carousel’s innards, marveling at its antique nature, but also being amazed that it’s still mostly intact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
She’d burned the edges of the photo with the stove flame to make it look even more antique.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
“I would like people to think of this as a funny little museum,” she told People magazine in 2018, referring to the expansive collection of antiques and vintage finds she had displayed in the home.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
His father, Francisco, worked in a shoe factory and later as an antiques dealer.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
They share a love of antiques, certain novels and can quote “Little Women” at each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
But by the 1960s, it was much diminished, and a later owner, Benjamin Swig, had sold close to 1,000 antiques and artworks to help pay bills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Not really. I’ve just been dragged to a lot of antiques stores.”
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
Of course, the only caveat is watching the slick show in the antiqued DVD format.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 1, 2021
Do you think it’s OK to have a low-key party to celebrate our child, or is this an antiqued ordeal that needs to go?
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2021
Designed by Stephen Rieman and Mark Krasne, the condo features antiqued mirrors, hand-stenciled doors and a wet bar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2019
Matte, polished, antiqued and brushed give home decorators many options to provide interest and depth.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2019
If you are using dull coloured carpets and hangings, have your modern reproductions antiqued.
From The Art of Interior Decoration by Grace Wood
Christine shows me a video on her phone of the two dancing before a funhouse mirror during one of their antiquing excursions; Ness jokes that they’re considering pitching a reality series called “Happi-Ness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Two lamps weren’t just two lamps, but the best outing she spent antiquing with my grandmother before she passed away from Alzheimer’s disease.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2024
“We are going antiquing, and they are on a little farm and we will take walks through the woods and cook some dinners,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2022
At this year’s TromaDance, the Demmers sat in lawn chairs next to a newly renovated drive-in speaker that Mr. Demmer found and repaired while antiquing in Detroit.
From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2021
Occasionally she disappears for the day, to go antiquing in the surrounding towns.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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