antic

[an-tik]

noun

1. Usually antics.

   1. a playful trick or prank; caper.

   2. a grotesque, fantastic, or ludicrous gesture, act, or posture.

2. Archaic.

   1. an actor in a grotesque or ridiculous presentation.

   2. a buffoon; clown.

3. Obsolete.

   1. a grotesque theatrical presentation; ridiculous interlude.

   2. a grotesque or fantastic sculptured figure, as a gargoyle.

adjective

1. ludicrous; funny.

2. fantastic; odd; grotesque.

   an antic disposition.

verb (used without object)

anticked, anticking 

1. Obsolete.,  to perform antics; caper.

antic

/ ˈæntɪk /

noun

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

adjective

1. archaic,  fantastic; grotesque

Other Word Forms

• antically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of antic¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of antic¹

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

Example Sentences

The prime minister uploaded a video of his antics to Instagram, with the caption: "I think I just got myself put in detention..."

Read more on BBC

When she got the script for the episode, Whitaker, who admits she “wasn’t a ‘Lord of the Rings’ girl growing up,” binged the movies, eager to pull off the antics in the scene.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Penelope sat within earshot of the children’s antics, but she scarcely heard them, for she was deep in thought.

Read more on Literature

What keeps these Democrats from power are the antics of their national party: the Russia folly, the border folly, the trans folly, the Biden incapacity folly.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2024, he was announced as Vogue's political correspondent in the lead-up to the US election, in part due to what the publication called his "silly goose" antics online.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• joke 
• shenanigan 
• trick