antique
antique Lexical Profile
antique Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a high value because of considerable age and artistic or historical quality, especially of furniture or decorative objects.
"The dining room was furnished with an antique mahogany table and matching chairs."
Belonging to or characteristic of ancient times, or existing since an early period; old-fashioned or outmoded.
"The village preserved many antique customs that had vanished elsewhere in the country."
• noun
A collectible object, such as a piece of furniture or work of art, that has a high value because of its considerable age and quality.
"She inherited a valuable 18th-century porcelain vase that is her most prized antique."
• verb
To make a piece of furniture or decorative object appear old or worn by applying special stains, glazes, or distressing techniques.
"The carpenter antiqued the newly built pine cabinet so it would blend in with the historic farmhouse."
To shop or browse for collectible antiques (usually used in the present participle 'antiquing').
"They spent Saturday afternoon antiquing in the small towns along the river."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the collectibles trade and customs regulations, "antique" generally refers to an item at least 100 years old, whereas "vintage" describes items from a more recent era (typically 20 to 99 years old).
• Rhymes for antique
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 16th century from French 'antique', from Latin 'antiquus' ("ancient, former"), derived from 'ante' ("before"). It is a doublet of 'antic', which originally meant "grotesque" or "bizarre" in reference to ancient Roman wall paintings.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.