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

Just thinking of what his subjects, used to the continuity of antiquity, might have made of this makes the heart flutter. — Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2026

The collection is the only large-scale library known to have survived from classical antiquity. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Organizations are now attempting to deploy autonomous agents capable of reasoning and planning, only to find their efforts stalled by the antiquity of their own infrastructure. — Chetan Mathur, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

And so the Pioneer Saloon thrives as an antiquity with a pulse — and by serving up quarter-pound Poltergeist Burgers (the place is ostensibly haunted, see). — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 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