antique

[an-teek]

adjective

1. of or belonging to the past; not modern.

   Synonyms: archaic, bygone

2. dating from a period long ago.

   antique furniture.

   Synonyms: obsolescent, obsolete, old

3. noting or pertaining to automobiles approximately 25 years old or more.

4. in the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; antiquated.

5. of or belonging to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

6. (of paper) neither calendered nor coated and having a rough surface.

7. ancient.

noun

1. 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.

2. the antique style, usually Greek or Roman, especially in art.

3. Printing.,  a style of type.

verb (used with object)

antiqued, antiquing 

1. to make or finish (something, especially furniture) in imitation of antiques.

2. to emboss (an image, design, letters, or the like) on paper or fabric.

verb (used without object)

antiqued, antiquing 

1. to shop for or collect antiques.

   She spent her vacation antiquing in Boston.

antique

/ ænˈtiːk /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      an antique shop

2. any object made in an earlier period

3. the style of ancient art, esp Greek or Roman art, or an example of it

adjective

1. made in or in the style of an earlier period

2. of or belonging to the distant past, esp of or in the style of ancient Greece or Rome

3. informal,  old-fashioned; out-of-date

4. archaic,  aged or venerable

5. (of paper) not calendered or coated; having a rough surface

verb

1. (tr) to give an antique appearance to

Other Word Forms

• antiquely adverb
• antiqueness noun
• pseudoantique adjective
• quasi-antique adjective
• subantique adjective
• subantiquely adverb
• subantiqueness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of antique¹

1520–30; earlier also anticke (< Middle French antique ) < Latin antīiquus, antīicus in front, existing earler, ancient; antic, posticum

Word History and Origins

Origin of antique¹

C16: from Latin antīquus ancient, from ante before

Synonym Study

See ancient ¹.

Example Sentences

As a boy he bought antiques for the family and made careful drawings that showed where to place them.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Arnold thinks "big hitters" in the antique world may have the finances to pay extra duties, but says smaller businesses like hers will suffer.

From BBC

She added that the ethics surrounding antique diamonds like Swift's are also complicated.

From BBC

Department stores, antiques shops and an old-fashioned soda fountain visited by generations have come and gone from the city’s historic core, but the park and its electric tile fountain have endured.

From Los Angeles Times

She sometimes works at the antique desk in her home office, sometimes from the couch in a living room filled with her grandchildren’s artwork.

From Salon

Related Words

• antiquity 
• artifact 
• heirloom 
• relic