ancient

1 of 3

adjective

an·​cient ˈān(t)-shənt 

ˈāŋ(k)-shənt

1

: having had an existence of many years

ancient customs

2

: of or relating to a remote period, to a time early in history, or to those living in such a period or time

ancient Egyptians

especially : of or relating to the historical period beginning with the earliest known civilizations and extending to the fall of the western Roman Empire in a.d. 476

studied both ancient and modern history

3

: having the qualities of age or long existence: such as

a

: venerable

b

: old-fashioned, antique

ancientness noun

ancient

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: a person who lived in ancient times:

a

ancients plural : the civilized people of antiquity

especially : those of the classical nations (see classical sense 2a)

b

: one of the classical authors

Plutarch and other ancients

2

: an aged living being

a penniless ancient

3

: an ancient coin

ancient

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

archaic : ensign, standard, flag

2

obsolete : the bearer of an ensign

Synonyms

Adjective

• aged
• age-old
• antediluvian
• antique
• dateless
• hoar
• hoary
• immemorial
• old
• venerable

Noun (1)

• elder
• geriatric
• golden-ager
• old-timer
• oldster
• senior
• senior citizen

Choose the Right Synonym for ancient

old, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete mean having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past.

old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses

an old sweater of mine

ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence.

a computer that makes earlier models obsolete

Examples of ancient in a Sentence

Adjective

The people in the village still observe the ancient customs of their ancestors.

a grove of ancient oak trees

The practice was more common in ancient times than it is now.

the gods of the ancient Romans

She studied both ancient and modern history.

Noun (1)

ancients in the tribe are accorded great respect and valued for their wisdom

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Last year, an ancient, still-active volcano was found off the Canadian coast, covered in millions of giant eggs laid by Pacific white skates (a hauntingly beautiful cartilaginous fish that looks like a stingray). —Scott Travers, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

Other lineages of ancient humans also went extinct around 40,000 years ago and disappeared just like the Neanderthals ultimately did, said Johannes Krause, director at the department of archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

Halfway down the Aegean coast, Smyrna, as Asia Minor ancients called it, was where East met West as an economic and cultural synapse at the end of the Silk Road. —Alex Crevar, New York Times, 11 July 2024

Yet not only is there no Vena amoris (as it was dubbed), but there’s also little evidence to support the idea of ancients routinely wearing engagement rings. —Katy Kelleher, refinery29.com, 2 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun (1)

Middle English ancien, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *anteanus, from Latin ante before — more at ante-

Noun (2)

alteration of ensign

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1502, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

circa 1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ancient

• ancient history

Kids Definition

ancient

1 of 2 adjective

an·​cient ˈān-shənt 

-chənt;

ˈāŋ(k)-shənt

1

: having existed for many years

ancient customs

2

: of or relating to a period of time long past

3

a

: aged, venerable

b

: old-fashioned sense 1, antique

ancientness noun

ancient

2 of 2 noun

1

: an aged person

2

plural : the civilized peoples of ancient times and especially of Greece and Rome

Legal Definition

ancient

adjective

an·​cient

: existing from a long past date

specifically : having had an uninterrupted existence of 20 to 30 or more years

Note: Things and especially documents that are ancient benefit from a presumption that they are valid even though proof of their validity may be unavailable due to lapse of memory, absence of witnesses, or loss of documents.