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informal old-fashioned; out-of-date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
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Musty Dusty Words for National Old Stuff Day
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: ante, anti
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
She envisioned that upstairs space as a playroom for the children, but an antique pool table from her father took up much of the available area.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Kelbaugh has since 1971 scoured antique shows and flea markets for images of Black Americans which in the early days few collectors were interested in.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Kurt Sawitskas has already spent weeks analyzing the carousel’s innards, marveling at its antique nature, but also being amazed that it’s still mostly intact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
I enter an antique store and find must-haves—a pristine Underwood typewriter, a vacuum-tube radio—then remind myself that we’re trying to get rid of stuff, and the urge passes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Tattered but freshly swept carpets covered the highly polished hardwood floors, and the rooms were filled with antique velvet-covered chairs inherited from my great-grandma.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
“I would like people to think of this as a funny little museum,” she told People magazine in 2018, referring to the expansive collection of antiques and vintage finds she had displayed in the home.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
His father, Francisco, worked in a shoe factory and later as an antiques dealer.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Her father was a traveling antiques dealer, but also operated a lakeside summer resort in Michigan, where, at a young age, Steinem was enamored of the musicians who passed through to play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
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
The sale had gone through quickly, and Immie and her friends had shopped in the Portobello Road market for antiques and in Harrods for textiles.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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 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
“We are going antiquing, and they are on a little farm and we will take walks through the woods and cook some dinners,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2022
“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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
