antique

American  

[an-teek] / ænˈtik /

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.

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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)

antiqued, antiquing

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)

antiqued, antiquing

1. to shop for or collect antiques.

   She spent her vacation antiquing in Boston.

antique British  

/ 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 style of ancient art, esp Greek or Roman art, or an example of it

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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 informal old-fashioned; out-of-date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

Related Words

See ancient ¹.

Other Word Forms

• antiquely adverb
• antiqueness noun
• pseudoantique adjective
• quasi-antique adjective
• subantique adjective
• subantiquely adverb
• subantiqueness noun

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.

Example Sentences

Why are millions of viewers following along with antique watch-repair videos and learning the craft themselves?

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

Cheryl Norris, a 76-year-old who works as an independent antique dealer, has owned a pair of homes in Northern California for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

I hardly ever find really good antiquing things there, because those are at antique stores and they’re usually pretty pricey.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Andrew - who had always been a big history buff - also began compulsively buying antique pens, pottery and cricket memorabilia.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

“It’s like a magic museum,” I say, admiring an antique lacquered box with swords sticking out of its sides.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• antiquity
• artifact
• heirloom
• relic