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

Synonyms of antiquity

• ancientness
• antiquation
• age
• hoariness

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

The same circle of dealers also sold artworks to the Metropolitan Museum, where the New York District Attorney’s Office seized five antiquities valued collectively at more than $3 million in 2022; those included a gold sarcophagus. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Marseglia said that forgery of antiquities started in the Renaissance. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Watching just a clip of siblings Frankie (Frankie Darro) and Betsy Baxter (Betsy King Ross) out of context, it’d be easy to dismiss their introduction at the Radio Ranchers microphone as an example of antiquity. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, an electric color palette of zingy greens, bold reds, and Prussian blues–touched off with plenty of black accents–amplifies the property’s wildly original juxtaposition of antiquity and modernity. — Alexandra Kirkman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see antique entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for antiquity

• iniquity
• obliquity
• ubiquity

Kids 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