antiquity
noun
an·tiq·ui·ty
an-ˈti-kwə-tē 
plural antiquities
1
: ancient times
especially
: those before the Middle Ages
a town that dates from antiquity
2
: the quality of being ancient
a castle of great antiquity
3
antiquities plural
a
: relics or monuments (such as coins, statues, or buildings) of ancient times
a museum of Greek antiquities
b
: matters relating to the life or culture of ancient times
the study of Germanic antiquities
4
: the people of ancient times
records left by antiquity
Examples of antiquity in a Sentence
The town dates from antiquity.
A palace stood here in antiquity.
a museum of Roman antiquities
Recent Examples on the Web
With the help of an archaeologist from a Philadelphia university, the short swords and arrowheads were authenticated as antiquities dating back to 1600-1000 BCE from the southwestern Caspian Sea near the Talish Mountains region of Iran, CBP said.
—
Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
The manners by which stories of heroes were conveyed in antiquity were not so unlike the comic books, movies and TV shows, games, and high-profile PR events of the Marvel Universe.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
The serviceman was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam conflict in the early 1970s and became fascinated with antiquities, Murphy said.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Up to 400 works in one of the Egyptian antiquities libraries in the museum were damaged in December when a pipe burst because of flooding, the museum’s deputy general administrator said at the time.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for antiquity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
The manners by which stories of heroes were conveyed in antiquity were not so unlike the comic books, movies and TV shows, games, and high-profile PR events of the Marvel Universe.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
The serviceman was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam conflict in the early 1970s and became fascinated with antiquities, Murphy said.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
Up to 400 works in one of the Egyptian antiquities libraries in the museum were damaged in December when a pipe burst because of flooding, the museum’s deputy general administrator said at the time.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for antiquity
Cite this Entry
“Antiquity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antiquity. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
antiquity
noun
an·tiq·ui·ty
an-ˈtik-wət-ē
plural antiquities
1
: ancient times
especially
: those before the Middle Ages
2
: very great age
3
plural
: objects or monuments from ancient times
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
