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informal old-fashioned; out-of-date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:
They’ve popped up in barns and on farms, in strip malls between an antique shop and an ax-throwing business and in churches, where lighting and sound for worship services is part of the curriculum.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
He’s just gotten into the art world with a $35,000 antique vase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
She suggests looking for affordable vintage oil paintings, exhibition posters or framed sketches at antique markets, then securing them with command strips so they can be removed without leaving holes in the plaster.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The red and white Victorian farmhouse had belonged to their friend, the late Steve Baker, who served as the city’s longtime historian and had packed the property with thousands of antique relics over his lifetime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The Lycian king received him with antique hospitality and entertained him splendidly for nine days before he asked to see the letter.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
His father, Francisco, worked in a shoe factory and later as an antiques dealer.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
“I don’t think she meant to do it, but she did,” said Annette Davis Bradley, owner of Downtown Envy, an antiques store a short walk from the Colleton County Courthouse where Hill presided.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
Egglestone, who has been in the antiques business for more than 25 years, said the comedian was a pleasure to be around, and the show had boosted visitor numbers.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
‘Storage Wars’ star Darrell Sheets, an antiques enthusiast known by fans of the A&E series as ‘The Gambler,’ was found dead on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
“Not really. I’ve just been dragged to a lot of antiques stores.”
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
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
With glasses, and an unbelted Mother Hubbard gown made out of antiqued gold cloth, she might have passed for a habitué of the pseudo-artistic colony that made its headquarters not far away from her domicile.
From Apron-Strings by Eleanor Gates
Two years later, their love of thrifting, antiquing, bargaining and restoring has turned their Westwood rental into a showcase of “secondhand treasures,” says Van Hulsen, 28, who works as a commercial contract specialist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
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
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
At this year’s TromaDance, the Demmers sat in lawn chairs next to a newly renovated drive-in speaker that Mr. Demmer found and repaired while antiquing in Detroit.
From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2021
She went antiquing and hung an old washboard on the wall.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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