antique

The word “antique” means an object, usually furniture or decorative item, valued for being old and often collectible. In plain terms, something (or someone's taste) that is old, often valuable, and from an earlier era.

“Antique” is pronounced an-TEEK (/ˌænˈtik/ in IPA).

Here is “antique” used in a sentence: “She inherited a beautiful antique writing desk from her grandmother.”

Words with a similar meaning to “antique” include disused, outdated, geriatric and oldster.

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

The word “antique” comes from Latin. From French antique, ultimately from Latin antiquus ("former, old"), from ante ("before").

“Antique” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Antique” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an object, usually furniture or decorative item, valued for being old and often collectible.

An 'antique' is an object valued for being genuinely old and collectible, typically much older than something merely 'vintage.' 'Vintage' usually refers to items from an earlier but more recent period or style era, while antiques are prized specifically for their age.

All antiques are old, but not everything old is an antique. 'Antique' adds the sense of value, collectibility, and belonging to former times, so it describes items prized for their age rather than simply things that are not new.

Yes. As a noun, 'antique' names the object itself, as in 'she collects antiques,' while as an adjective it describes something old and often valuable, as in 'an antique clock.' The two uses are closely related in meaning.

'Antique' describes something old that is often valued and collectible, whereas 'antiquated' is usually negative, meaning outdated or no longer useful, as in 'antiquated methods.' An antique vase is treasured; an antiquated system is a problem.