Antique - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT antique /ænˈtik/ /ænˈtik/ IPA guide

Other forms: antiques; antiquing; antiquely; antiqued

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 Outside of antique shops, calling anything antique means it's out-of-date and useless — so if you wanted to be mean, you could call your grandparents antiques.

Definitions of antique

adjective made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age “the beautiful antique French furniture” synonyms: old of long duration; not new
adjective belonging to or lasting from times long ago “the antique fear that days would dwindle away to complete darkness” synonyms: age-old old of long duration; not new
adjective out of fashion “a suit of rather antique appearance” synonyms: demode, ex, old-fashioned, old-hat, outmoded, passe, passee, vintage unfashionable, unstylish not in accord with or not following current fashion
noun any piece of furniture or decorative object or the like produced in a former period and valuable because of its beauty or rarity see moresee less type of: antiquity an artifact surviving from the past
noun an elderly man synonyms: gaffer, old geezer, old-timer, oldtimer see moresee less type of: Methuselah, graybeard, greybeard, old man a man who is very old
verb give an antique appearance to “antique furniture” synonyms: antiquate see moresee less type of: alter, change, modify cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
verb shop for antiques “We went antiquing on Saturday” see moresee less type of: browse, shop shop around; not necessarily buying

Pronunciation US /ænˈtik/ UK /ænˈtik/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘antique'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

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