antic
antic Lexical Profile
antic Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A foolish, outrageous, or amusing act or gesture, typically used in the plural to describe playful or mischievous behavior.
"The playful antics of the river otters kept the children entertained for the entire afternoon."
A performer who plays a grotesque or ludicrous part, such as a clown, buffoon, or jester (now archaic).
"A troupe of masked antics danced across the stage between the acts of the Renaissance play."
• adjective
Grotesque, bizarre, or playfully absurd in appearance or behavior.
"In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet puts on an antic disposition to disguise his true intentions from the royal court."
• verb
To perform antics; to caper or behave in a playful, bizarre, or clownish manner.
"The street performers anticked in the town square to draw a crowd of curious onlookers."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun, 'antic' is almost exclusively used in the plural ('antics') to refer to playful, foolish, or attention-seeking behavior; the adjective form is primarily literary, made famous by Shakespeare's phrase 'an antic disposition' in Hamlet.
• Rhymes for antic
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Italian 'antico' ('ancient'), originally applied to grotesque, fantastical frescoes discovered in the ruins of ancient Roman baths, before evolving to mean 'bizarre' or 'playful' (a doublet of 'antique').