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informal old-fashioned; out-of-date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:
It also featured what we’d now call a “vintage” kitchen, featuring antique appliances.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Only part of the original is open today but rarely and usually just to local traffic and occasional antique car clubs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Pat Cunningham, who worked at the castle between 1988 and 2010, bought the cards online or from local antique shops over decades, according to English Heritage.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 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
The front wall was blown out, but by some freaky coincidence, her carved wooden dresser full of her antique china collection was left perfectly intact.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
Most of the home’s antiques are Spanish and Peruvian, with some French, Chinese and English pieces; one weighty armoire had to be craned in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
They share a love of antiques, certain novels and can quote “Little Women” at each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
We’re going to shmay around and look at antiques.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Sam Malloy had long had a theory of antiques.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
Of course, the only caveat is watching the slick show in the antiqued DVD format.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 1, 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
The work doesn’t stint on passionate drama, but it also has an antiqued, bronzed, sometimes delicately flute-fluttering and strings-pricking sound, as if the score had been unearthed from long ago.
From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 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
Later Tunde and his partner, Sadako, are antiquing in a small town outside Cambridge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
A one-of-a-kind pillow on the bed was crafted from an antique tapestry discovered during an antiquing adventures.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
“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.
