ancient history

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noun

the study or a course of study of history before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476.

information or an event of the recent past that is common knowledge or is no longer pertinent: Last week's news is ancient history.

an event, as in a person's life, that occurred in the remote past and has no practical relationship with the present: She was my best friend in high school, but that's ancient history now.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of ancient history

First recorded in 1585–95

Words nearby ancient history

Ancienne-Lorette, ancienne noblesse, ancien régime, ancient, Ancient Greek, ancient history, ancient lights, anciently, ancient monument, Ancient Mystic Order Rosae Crucis, Ancient of Days

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ancient history in a sentence

Fifty years later, cultural norms around unplanned pregnancy and single motherhood have shifted in ways that make the world of maternity homes seem like ancient history.
What History Teaches Us About Women Forced to Carry Unwanted Pregnancies to Term|Kelly O’Connor McNees|September 30, 2021|Time
Erick views his divorce as ancient history, so he talked about how he and his ex-wife met, struggled with infertility and in vitro fertilization and ultimately ended their relationship many years ago.
Date Lab: They were so instantly comfortable that our photographer asked if they had met before|Damona Hoffman|June 17, 2021|Washington Post
This is not recent history, but it is not ancient history, either.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says BLM protests are ‘the same tactics the Ku Klux Klan used to use’|Philip Bump|April 22, 2021|Washington Post
He completed his undergraduate degree in ancient history at Bristol University before moving on to Yale for his master’s degree in international relations.
An edtech startup founded by the son of Tony Blair gets $44 million|Lucinda Shen|January 19, 2021|Fortune

For a young woman of the post-millennial generation, Sade might seem as ancient history as jazz legend Billie Holiday.
No Ordinary Love: An Ode To Sade|cmurray|October 9, 2020|Essence.com
Does any of this ancient history of the bellbottom era sound familiar to you, fellow millennial geeks?
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage|Arthur Chu|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It seems to me like ancient history, whether fact or fiction.
Katie Couric on Diane Sawyer: 'I Wonder Who She Blew This Time'|Lloyd Grove|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But that may be ancient history in Providence, where the still-beloved figure may seek one more go of it in City Hall.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?|David Freedlander|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What he could not foresee was that a half century later Freedom Summer would not be ancient history.
The 1964 Miss. Freedom Summer Protests Won Progress At a Bloody Price|Nicolaus Mills|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
D-Day was 70 years ago, and to midshipmen of today, it is all but ancient history.
D-Day Historian Craig Symonds Talks About History’s Most Amazing Invasion|Marc Wortman|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is impossible to form a just estimate of the Bible without some knowledge of ancient history and comparative mythology.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The ruined arches of the old bridge carry the imagination back into the ancient history of the town.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
Boucher, moved to the depths of his consciousness by Diderot, resolved to paint a picture taken from ancient history.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
Yes; she was the love of my life—I may say it now, for it is ancient history—and she loved you.
A German Pompadour|Marie Hay
I am personally a trifle sceptical on this point, and believe that the key to this part of ancient history is yet to be found.
Ocean to Ocean on Horseback|Willard Glazier

British Dictionary definitions for ancient history

ancient history

noun

the history of the ancient world from the earliest known civilizations to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 a.d

informal a recent event or fact sufficiently familiar to have lost its pertinence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ancient history

ancient history

A past event, as in She's talking about her sea voyage, but that's ancient history, or And then there was his divorce, but you don't want to hear ancient history. This hyperbolic idiom transfers the field of ancient history to a much-repeated tale.

ancient history

Origin of ancient history

Words nearby ancient history

Words related to ancient history

How to use ancient history in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ancient history

Other Idioms and Phrases with ancient history