antiquity
Americannoun
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antiquities
plural
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the quality of being ancient; ancientness.
a bowl of great antiquity.
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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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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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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:
Hearing the poems recited in the epic Greek of antiquity would be a purist’s ideal—nothing more authentic than that—but who are we kidding?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
It is also a love story, set in the modern world but steeped in antiquity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"The new finds of Homo teeth from 2.6 -- 2.8 million year old sediments -- reported in this paper -- confirms the antiquity of our lineage," said Brian Villmoare, lead author and ASU alumnus.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026
In antiquity, the city of Tyre was at various times Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
The deep antiquity of the Babylonian tradition is somewhat exaggerated, however: their most impressive work in mathematical astronomy dates after 300, roughly contemporaneous with developments in the Hellenistic world.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
"We definitely care about protecting these antiquities and will continue to do so," he added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
"It's one of the first cases where we can see the whole discussion about restitution of antiquities that were illegally exported, until some were returned to Turkey," Alexandridis said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
He said he had told them of his suspicions that he - and other antiquities dealers he knew - had unintentionally bought items online that actually came from their collection.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Cooperation is key for Unesco as well, and its ties to antiquities authorities in Lebanon led it to flag 39 additional cultural sites on its International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
A prosperous art dealer in Florence, Geri advertised in newspapers across Europe, looking for art and antiquities.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions 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.
