vintage

1 of 2

noun

vin·​tage ˈvin-tij 

1

a(1)

: a season's yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard

(2)

: wine

especially : a usually superior wine all or most of which comes from a single year

b

: a collection of contemporaneous and similar persons or things : crop

2

: the act or time of harvesting grapes or making wine

3

a

: a period of origin or manufacture

a piano of 1845 vintage

b

: length of existence : age

vintage

2 of 2

adjective

1

of wine : of, relating to, or produced in a particular vintage

2

: of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality : classic

3

a

: dating from the past : old

b

: outmoded, old-fashioned

4

: of the best and most characteristic

—used with a proper noun

vintage Shaw: a wise and winning comedy

—Time

Synonyms

Adjective

• antique
• old-fashioned
• old-school
• old-time
• old-timey
• old-world
• oldfangled
• quaint
• retro
• retrograde

Examples of vintage in a Sentence

Noun

a piano of 1845 vintage

Adjective

the designer's bracelets and necklaces have the vintage look of jewelry from the 1920s

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This particular pair offers a high-rise vintage look with a unique distressed split back pocket detail that sets them apart from others. —Larry Stansbury, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024

For the exhibit, the Hirshhorn has revived the light well, a vintage solution for displaying sculpture by placing works on an elevated podium under even, suspended lighting. —Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Shop vintage clothing, handmade accessories, analogue cameras and more. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024

But the sound is vintage: loud and unpolished, neither country nor punk. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024

This small offbeat vintage shop matches the eclectic NoDa vibe and sells clothes on the pricier side, generally $30 and above. —Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2024

Up on the sky deck are multiple sun-lounging pads, a forward bar with 360-degree views of the ocean, and a long dining table for 10 made to resemble a vintage sailing yacht’s teak grating. —Howard Walker, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) The best thing about Invasion of Astro-Monster is its retro sci-fi aesthetic — that sleek, midcentury modern version of the future so beloved by vintage enthusiasts. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024

Filling their space with vintage and thrifted home decor that tells a story is something that every Sagittarius can get behind. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Mar. 2024

Adjective

Bitter and her musical cohorts on the album, most notably writer-producer Michael Gurley, fashion a superb vintage sound, but smartly meld it with original songs. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024

Wolf took a newly soulful approach to Big Ideas, which was largely recorded with vintage equipment at Diamond Mine and Electric Lady Studios in New York. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024

Browse more than 200 dealers of antiques, vintage jewelry, primitives, garden and architectural elements, mid-century collectibles, memorabilia, Americana and retro/vintage furniture. —The Enquirer, 14 Apr. 2024

Simon Riske, another of my characters, is an expert mechanic restoring and selling vintage Ferraris for a small fortune. —Jimmy Camp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

Puzzles, for instance, build on one another, and characters in a switchboard game, which contains more than 100 cues, may appear later in another challenge — perhaps one in which a vintage computer coldly instructs us to decrease the corporation’s headcount. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Stationed amid the rows and rows of tulips is a display of vintage tractors. —Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024

Case in point: This weekend in L.A., the star hit the town in an all-black look that included two vintage gems. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 7 Apr. 2024

The property is decked out in vintage TWA travel posters and there are exhibits displaying decades-old playing cards given out as in-flight amenities, old TWA uniforms, and vintage furnishings from the TWA headquarters. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, probably alteration of vendage, from Anglo-French vendage, vendenge, from Latin vindemia grape-gathering, vintage, from vinum wine, grapes + demere to take off, from de- + emere to take — more at wine, redeem

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vintage

• vintage year

Kids Definition

vintage

noun

vin·​tage

ˈvint-ij

1

a

: the grapes or wine produced during one season

b

: wine entry 1 sense 1

2

: a period in which something was made or was begun

a violin of 1820 vintage

vintage adjective

Etymology

Noun

Middle English vintage, an altered form of vendage "the grapes picked during a season," from early French vendage, vendenge (same meaning), from Latin vindemia (same meaning), from vinum "wine, grapes" and demere "to take off" — related to vine, vinegar