English · Word Candidate

antique

/ˌanˈtiːk/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: antiquest · antiques · antiquing

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome.

Adjective

Examples

[…] Phillip the younger issue of the king, / Coting the other hill in such arraie, / That all his guilded vpright pikes do seeme, / Streight trees of gold, the pendant leaues, / And their deuice of Antique heraldry, / Quartred in collours seeming sundy fruits, / Makes it the Orchard of the Hesperide

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Belonging to former times, not modern, out of date, old-fashioned.

Adjective

Examples

Some traditions of this antiquer system may have passed into Van Eyck's method, from distemper into oil, and thence downwards, gradually more vague, into the modern process, till they at length disappeared altogether about Rubens's time.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

In general, anything very old; specifically: — An old object perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

In general, anything very old; specifically: — An object of ancient times.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “antique” mean?

Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome.

Is “antique” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.