antiquity
Americannoun
plural
antiquities-
the quality of being ancient; ancientness.
a bowl of great antiquity.
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ancient times; former ages.
the splendor of antiquity.
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the period of history before the Middle Ages.
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the peoples, nations, tribes, or cultures of ancient times.
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Usually antiquities. something belonging to or remaining from ancient times, as monuments, relics, or customs.
noun
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the quality of being ancient or very old
a vase of great antiquity
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the far distant past, esp the time preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
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the people of ancient times collectively; the ancients
Other Word Forms
- preantiquity noun
- subantiquity noun
Etymology
Origin of antiquity
1350–1400; Middle English antiquite < Anglo-French < Latin antīquitās, equivalent to antīqu ( us ) old ( antique ) + -itās -ity
Explanation
If you find an antiquity, call a museum: you just found something very old. Antiquity can also mean the idea of oldness. The word antique should be a clue to the meaning of this word, which refers to things that are extremely old or ancient. This isn't grandparent old — this is really old, like hundreds or even thousands of years old. People also use this word to compare old ways of doing things to new ways: you could say an old-fashioned idea is an antiquity that goes against modernity (newer ideas and ways of doing things). Antiquity can also mean the time before the Middle Ages.
Vocabulary lists containing antiquity
The Hobbit
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 1
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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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.
In antiquity, the city of Tyre was at various times Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
In 1274, the Roman Catholic Church questioned the order's legitimacy because it had been founded after 1215 and lacked a continuous presence dating back to late antiquity.
From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026
The overtones of Roman sculpture probably owe something to Bellini’s close relationship with his brother-in-law Andrea Mantegna, known for sharply drawn images, informed by his study of antiquity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
Crystals within the Manhattan schist link urban modernity to deep antiquity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Historiographic conceits aside, Polybius was born in Arcadia, notorious throughout antiquity as an irredeemable backwater.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
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.
