antiquated

adjective

an·​ti·​quat·​ed ˈan-tə-ˌkwā-təd 

1

: outmoded or discredited by reason of age : old and no longer useful, popular, or accepted

antiquated ideas

antiquated methods of farming

antiquated machinery

antiquated slang

2

: obsolete

an antiquated calendar

3

: advanced in age

Synonyms

• archaic
• obsolete
• medieval

Choose the Right Synonym for antiquated

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 antiquated in a Sentence

He has some pretty antiquated opinions about politics.

saw an antiquated hand-cranked rope-making machine at the textiles museum

Recent Examples on the Web

Airbnb co-founder @jgebbia is working with @DOGE to digitize the government's antiquated retirement process — which is literally housed in 22,000 filing cabinets in a Pennsylvania cave. —Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025

Similarly, with the industry under fire, there’s a strong incentive to chip away at antiquated laws that mostly protect entrenched incumbents at the expense of consumers and business innovators. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025

Today, these antiquated statutes are increasingly being repurposed by governments to suppress opposition by prosecuting speech. —Stephen Townley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

The case management system used by the federal courts has been hacked multiple times, in part because the system is insecure, antiquated and expensive to operate. —Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see antiquate

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for antiquated

• abdicated
• abrogated
• acclimated
• activated
• actuated
• adumbrated
• advocated
• aggravated
• aggregated
• agitated
• allocated
• alternated

Kids Definition

antiquated

adjective

an·​ti·​quat·​ed

ˈant-ə-ˌkwāt-əd

1

: obsolete sense 1

2

: old-fashioned sense 1, outmoded

antiquated methods of farming

3

: advanced in age