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noun Common

vintage

VIHN-tihj

Vintage (noun) means the year or place a wine (or similar product) comes from, especially when it indicates quality. Example: “This bottle is from an excellent vintage.”

noun
1
The year or place a wine (or similar product) comes from, especially when it indicates quality.
"This bottle is from an excellent vintage."
adj
1
Old and of high quality; representing the best of a particular period.
"He collects vintage motorcycles from the 1960s."
"She wore a vintage dress she found at a charity shop."
2
Typical of someone's best, most characteristic style or work.
"That sarcastic comeback was vintage him."

How to Use Vintage

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomething old-fashioned but valued for its quality or style — or, for wine, the year it was made.

Common mistake

Vintage isn't the same as antique: vintage usually means decades old and stylish, while antique traditionally means at least 100 years old.

Common pairings
a vintage wine vintage clothing vintage car

Word Forms

more vintage comparative, vintaged past tense, vintages plural, vintages singular, most vintage superlative

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Test yourself on “vintage” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

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Can you complete this real example?

This bottle is from an excellent _____.

Etymology

From Old French vendage, "grape harvest," from Latin vindēmia, from vīnum ("wine") + dēmere ("to take away").

Origin: Latin

Related Words

Rhymes for vintage

See all rhymes for vintage →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “vintage” mean?

The word “vintage” means the year or place a wine (or similar product) comes from, especially when it indicates quality. In plain terms, something old-fashioned but valued for its quality or style — or, for wine, the year it was made.

How do you pronounce “vintage”?

“Vintage” is pronounced VIHN-tihj (/ˈvɪn.tɪd͡ʒ/ in IPA).

How do you use “vintage” in a sentence?

Here is “vintage” used in a sentence: “This bottle is from an excellent vintage.”

What part of speech is “vintage”?

Depending on how it is used, “vintage” can be a noun and an adjective.

Where does the word “vintage” come from?

The word “vintage” comes from Latin. From Old French vendage, "grape harvest," from Latin vindēmia, from vīnum ("wine") + dēmere ("to take away").

Is “vintage” a common word?

“Vintage” is a fairly common word in modern English.

How many meanings does “vintage” have?

“Vintage” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the year or place a wine (or similar product) comes from, especially when it indicates quality.

What is the difference between vintage and antique?

Vintage describes something old and of high quality that represents the best of a particular period, and it is often applied to items from a few decades ago. Antique usually refers to objects that are much older, commonly at least a century old, so all antiques are old but not everything vintage is antique.

What is the difference between vintage and retro?

Vintage refers to items that are genuinely old and from an earlier era, while retro describes new items made in a style that deliberately imitates the past. A vintage dress was actually made decades ago, whereas a retro dress is a modern piece styled to look that way.

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial