DEFINITIONS

antic

[ an-tik ]
/ ˈæn tɪk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR antic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Usually antics.
  1. a playful trick or prank; caper.
  2. a grotesque, fantastic, or ludicrous gesture, act, or posture.
Archaic.
  1. an actor in a grotesque or ridiculous presentation.
  2. a buffoon; clown.
Obsolete.
  1. a grotesque theatrical presentation; ridiculous interlude.
  2. a grotesque or fantastic sculptured figure, as a gargoyle.

adjective

ludicrous; funny.
fantastic; odd; grotesque: an antic disposition.

verb (used without object), an·ticked, an·tick·ing.

Obsolete. to perform antics; caper.

Content related to antic

Are New Idioms Ever Created?Many idioms—expressions that are not taken literally—are so old and so familiar that we don’t think twice about using them. We say, for example, “it’s raining cats and dogs” to indicate that it’s pouring outside, and “comfortable as an old shoe” to explain an easy and familiar relationship. We can trace the etymology of some idioms to books and sayings that were first used hundreds …
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Words related to antic

trick, joke, shenanigan, caper, romp, dido, lark, frolic, tomfoolery

Words nearby antic

antibody excess, antibody-mediated immunity, antibugging, antibuser, antibusing, antic, antical, anticancer, anticapitalist, anticarious, anticatalase

Origin of antic

1520–30; earlier antike, antique < Italian antico ancient (< Latin antīcus, antīquus; see antique), apparently taken to mean “grotesque,” as used in descriptions of fantastic figures found in Roman ruins

OTHER WORDS FROM antic

an·ti·cal·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH antic

antic antique
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for antic

British Dictionary definitions for antic

antic
/ (ˈæntɪk) /

noun

archaic an actor in a ludicrous or grotesque part; clown; buffoon

adjective

archaic fantastic; grotesque
See also antics

Word Origin for antic

C16: from Italian antico something ancient, or grotesque (from its application to fantastic carvings found in ruins of ancient Rome); see antique
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