antique
Americanadjective
-
of or belonging to the past; not modern.
-
dating from a period long ago.
antique furniture.
- Synonyms:
- obsolescent, obsolete, old
-
noting or pertaining to automobiles approximately 25 years old or more.
-
in the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; antiquated.
-
of or belonging to the ancient Greeks and Romans.
-
(of paper) neither calendered nor coated and having a rough surface.
noun
-
antiques
plural
-
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.
-
the antique style, usually Greek or Roman, especially in art.
-
Printing. a style of type.
verb (used with object)
-
antiques,
present (3rd person singular)
-
antiqued,
past participle, past
-
antiquing
present participle
-
to make or finish (something, especially furniture) in imitation of antiques.
-
to emboss (an image, design, letters, or the like) on paper or fabric.
verb (used without object)
-
antiques,
present (3rd person singular)
-
antiqued,
past participle, past
-
antiquing
present participle
noun
-
-
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
-
( as modifier )
an antique shop
-
-
any object made in an earlier period
-
the style of ancient art, esp Greek or Roman art, or an example of it
adjective
-
made in or in the style of an earlier period
-
of or belonging to the distant past, esp of or in the style of ancient Greece or Rome
-
informal old-fashioned; out-of-date
-
archaic aged or venerable
-
(of paper) not calendered or coated; having a rough surface
verb
Synonym Usage
See ancient 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
antiquenessnoun
-
subantiquenessnoun
-
pseudoantiqueadjective
-
quasi-antiqueadjective
-
subantiqueadjective
-
antiquelyadverb
-
subantiquelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
antiquesimple
-
antiquessimple
-
have antiquedperfect
-
has antiquedperfect
-
am antiquingprogressive
-
are antiquingprogressive
-
is antiquingprogressive
-
have been antiquingperfect progressive
-
has been antiquingperfect progressive
Past
-
antiquedsimple
-
had antiquedperfect
-
was antiquingprogressive
-
were antiquingprogressive
-
had been antiquingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing antique
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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:
Over the years, Barton scoured antique shops, bookshops and auctions to add to his collection, which has grown to about 100,000 artifacts owned by Barton and his son Tim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
My lamp is a French antique with a heavy iron chain link as its base.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It also featured what we’d now call a “vintage” kitchen, featuring antique appliances.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Many people want their estate-planning needs handled by their financial adviser rather than an attorney, as they are more focused on protecting their assets than deciding who gets their antique china cabinet.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
“Otherwise, there’s a library, a coffee shop, a dance studio. Um...We have three thrift and antique shops. And there’s the national park.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
"These weren't simply Christmas cards, they were pieces of political campaigning that helped fund one of the most significant social movements in British history," said Matt Case, an antiques specialist.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Burrell’s family said in the statement announcing the antiques enthusiast’s death that the cancer community provided “so much comfort and strength to her in her darkest moments.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The court heard the accompanying paperwork had been typed using a typewriter on paper embossed with an antiques dealers' logo – and even a nine-pence stamp.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
When I had to sell my mother’s house to fund her Alzheimer’s care, I stored all of her antiques, scrapbooks, photos and other family heirlooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
They passed a store for watches, a bank, a gift shop full of antiques, a nursery school.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
Of course, the only caveat is watching the slick show in the antiqued DVD format.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 1, 2021
It hangs from an antiqued sterling silver chain, complemented with Heishi beads and polished stones.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2021
Do you think it’s OK to have a low-key party to celebrate our child, or is this an antiqued ordeal that needs to go?
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2021
Designed by Stephen Rieman and Mark Krasne, the condo features antiqued mirrors, hand-stenciled doors and a wet bar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2019
If you are using dull coloured carpets and hangings, have your modern reproductions antiqued.
From The Art of Interior Decoration by Grace Wood
Two lamps weren’t just two lamps, but the best outing she spent antiquing with my grandmother before she passed away from Alzheimer’s disease.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2024
As orders in furniture stores backordered and stock wasn’t available, homeowners went antiquing.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
We do a lot of thrifting and antiquing still, so it’s pretty unknown — in L.A.,
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
“My houses have always been my creative, shopping and antiquing outlets — they just combine everything I like to do,” she explains.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2021
Occasionally she disappears for the day, to go antiquing in the surrounding towns.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
