Dictionary.com

archaic

[ ahr-key-ik ]
/ ɑrˈkeÉȘ ÉȘk /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for archaic on Thesaurus.com
adjective
marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated: an archaic manner; an archaic notion.
(of a linguistic form) commonly used in an earlier time but rare in present-day usage except to suggest the older time, as in religious rituals or historical novels. Examples: thou; wast; methinks; forsooth.
forming the earliest stage; prior to full development: the archaic period of psychoanalytic research.
(often initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the style of the fine arts, especially painting and sculpture, developed in Greece from the middle 7th to the early 5th century b.c., chiefly characterized by an increased emphasis on the human figure in action, naturalistic proportions and anatomical structure, simplicity of volumes, forms, or design, and the evolution of a definitive style for the narrative treatment of subject matter.Compare classical (def. 6), Hellenistic (def. 5).
primitive; ancient; old: an archaic form of animal life.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of archaic

First recorded in 1825–35; from French archaïque, or directly from Greek archaïkós “antiquated, old-fashioned,” equivalent to archaü(os) “old” + -ikos adjective suffix; see origin at -ic

usage note for archaic

2. Archaic is used as a label in this dictionary for terms and definitions that were current roughly as late as 1900 but are now employed only as conscious archaisms, as described and exemplified in definition 2 above. An archaic term is generally more recognizable, as when encountered in literature, than one labeled Obsolete.

OTHER WORDS FROM archaic

ar·cha·i·cal·ly, adverbpseu·do·ar·cha·ic, adjectivepseu·do·ar·cha·i·cal·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH archaic

archaic , obsolescent, obsolete

Words nearby archaic

archaeon , archaeopteryx, archaeornis, Archaeozoic, archaezoology, archaic, archaic Homo, archaic Homo sapiens, archaic smile, archaism, archaize
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to archaic

ancient, antiquated, obsolete, old-fashioned, outmoded, primitive, antique, bygone, olden, out of date, passé, superannuated

How to use archaic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for archaic

archaic
/ (ɑːˈkeÉȘÉȘk) /
adjective
belonging to or characteristic of a much earlier period; ancient
out of date; antiquatedan archaic prison system
(of idiom, vocabulary, etc) characteristic of an earlier period of a language and not in ordinary use

Derived forms of archaic

archaically, adverb

Word Origin for archaic

C19: from French archaïque, from Greek arkhaïkos, from arkhaios ancient, from arkhē beginning, from arkhein to begin
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
FEEDBACK