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antediluvian

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Antediluvian (adj) means belonging to the time before the great flood in the Bible, or, more broadly, before a similarly huge flood in another story.

adj

Belonging to the time before the great flood in the Bible, or, more broadly, before a similarly huge flood in another story.

Describing plants or animals that died out long ago; prehistoric.

Extremely old; ancient.

"The air inside smelled antediluvian, regal somehow, with traces of pipe tobacco, tea leaves, cooking sherry, and the earthen aroma of stone architecture." — Dan Brown (2003)

So out of date that it seems almost laughably old-fashioned.

"Those ideas are antediluvian."

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

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Etymology

PIE word *dwís From ante- (prefix meaning ‘prior to in time’) + Latin dīluvium (“a flood”) + -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming agent nouns), referring the story of Noah’s Ark, through which God rescues Noah, his family, and examples of all the world’s animals from the great flood, which is related in Genesis 6–9 of the Bible. Dīluvium is derived from dīluō (“to wash away”) (from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder, in two’) + lavō (“to wash”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- (“to wash”))) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The English word is analyzable as ante- + diluvian. Adjective sense 2 (“long extinct”) is from the fact that such animals and plants were originally believed to have perished in the biblical flood referred to above.

Synonyms

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antiquated archaic antediluvial

Antonyms

young youthful fresh new

Related words

new old young cool recent river clean fresh

Rhymes for antediluvian

Asian radian Fabian Indian Syrian simian median Italian Russian Persian Serbian Latvian

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Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of antediluvian?

"antediluvian" (adj) means belonging to the time before the great flood in the Bible, or, more broadly, before a similarly huge flood in another story.

What is another word for antediluvian?

Other words for "antediluvian" include antiquated, archaic, antediluvial.

What is the opposite of antediluvian?

Opposites of "antediluvian" include young, youthful, fresh, new.

What are the different meanings of antediluvian?

"antediluvian" has 3 main meanings: 1. Belonging to the time before the great flood in the Bible, or, more broadly, before a similarly huge flood in another story; 2. Describing plants or animals that died out long ago; prehistoric; 3. Extremely old; ancient.

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