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classic

[ klas-ik ]

/ ˈklæs ɪk /

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See synonyms for: classic / classics on Thesaurus.com

Definition of classic

adjective Also classical (for defs. 1-5, 8, 10).

of the first or highest quality, class, or rank: a classic piece of work.

serving as a standard, model, or guide: the classic method of teaching arithmetic.

of or relating to Greek and Roman antiquity, especially with reference to literature and art.

modeled upon or imitating the style or thought of ancient Greece and Rome: The 17th and 18th centuries were obsessed with classic ideals.

of or adhering to an established set of artistic or scientific standards or methods: a classic example of mid-Victorian architecture.

basic; fundamental: the classic rules of warfare.

of enduring interest, quality, or style: a classic design; classic clothes.

of literary or historical renown: the classic haunts of famous writers.

traditional or typical: a classic comedy routine.

definitive: the classic reference work on ornithology.

of or relating to automobiles distinguished by elegant styling, outstanding engineering, and fine workmanship that were built between about 1925 and 1948.

noun

an author or a literary work of the first rank, especially one of demonstrably enduring quality.

an author or literary work of ancient Greece or Rome.

(the) classics, the literature and languages of ancient Greece and Rome.

an artist or artistic production considered a standard.

a work that is honored as definitive in its field: His handbook on mushrooms is a classic.

something noteworthy of its kind and worth remembering: His reply was a classic.

an article, as of clothing, unchanging in style: Her suit was a simple classic.

a typical or traditional event, especially one that is considered to be highly prestigious or the most important of its kind: The World Series is the fall classic of baseball.

Archaic. a classicist.

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Origin of classic

First recorded in 1605–15; (from French classique ), from Latin classicus “belonging to a class, belonging to the first or highest class,” equivalent to class(is) “class” + -icus adjective suffix; see class, -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM classic

non·clas·sic, adjectivepre·clas·sic, adjectivequasi-classic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH classic

classic , classical

Words nearby classic

class C drug, class conflict, class-conscious, class consciousness, class day, classic, classical, classical antiquity, Classical Armenian, Classical Chinese, classical college

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use classic in a sentence

Originally, the game had been scrapped because of the Summer Olympics, historically a time when the league does not play the midseason classic.
There’s No WNBA All-Star Game This Year, But We Picked The Rosters Anyway|Howard Megdal|August 26, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
This year, the move to remote presidential conventions matches the loss of many classic American staples.
Departure from convention—mom, baseball, the postal worker, and patriotism|jakemeth|August 19, 2020|Fortune
When it was first announced that this classic ’90s gem was coming to Netflix this month, it broke the internet and set “Moesha” trending.
This Weekend: A Sangria Slushie Summer|Fiona Zublin|August 7, 2020|Ozy
It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States and one of the classics for attempting a fastest known time.
Canceled Races Aren’t Stopping Endurance Athletes From Setting Wild New Records|Anna Wiederkehr (anna.wiederkehr@abc.com)|July 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

And, in the wake of the film’s success, a revival of even more Nollywood classics is on the cards over the next 18 months.
Nigeria’s Nollywood is remaking classic movies to maximize box office revenue in the Netflix era|Yomi Kazeem|July 17, 2020|Quartz
In the classic skillset of piloting, mental acuity, and its coordination with hand and foot movements, is equally vital.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Monir is not interested in classic dances like tango or ballet.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Week after week, The Daily Beast features classic stories from the past that prove great writing is timeless.
The Best of The Stacks: Mencken, Mel Brooks, Allman Brothers, and More|Alex Belth|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And you though you knew everything about the Christmas classic.
18 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Love Actually’|Amy Zimmerman, Marlow Stern|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A glossary of what all those strange phrases in classic Christmas songs really mean.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is likely that in the classic days of Greece men began to make simple experiments of a chemical nature.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
The elegance of his stature and the pensive melancholy of his classic features invested him with a peculiar power of fascination.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
But these ripe and classic works will surpass everything we have heard since Glinka.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
The tall, slender Spaniard, swarthy and of classic feature, looks about him with suppressed disdain.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
There was, in classic times, a sacred character attached to all places set apart for the purposes of sepulture.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow

British Dictionary definitions for classic

classic

/ (ˈklæsɪk) /

adjective

of the highest class, esp in art or literature

serving as a standard or model of its kind; definitive

adhering to an established set of rules or principles in the arts or sciencesa classic proof

characterized by simplicity, balance, regularity, and purity of form; classical

of lasting interest or significance

continuously in fashion because of its simple and basic stylea classic day dress

noun

an author, artist, or work of art of the highest excellence

a creation or work considered as definitive

horse racing

any of the five principal races for three-year-old horses in Britain, namely the One Thousand Guineas, Two Thousand Guineas, Derby, Oaks, and Saint Leger
a race equivalent to any of these in other countries

See also classics

Word Origin for classic

C17: from Latin classicus of the first rank, from classis division, rank, class

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

Cultural definitions for classic

classic

A descriptive term for a period in Western music, encompassing roughly the last half of the eighteenth century, that includes the works of Franz Josef Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the early works of Ludwig van Beethoven, among other composers.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.