Definition of relicnext
1
2
as in antique
something belonging to or surviving from an earlier period in my grandparents' attic are many "groovy" relics from the 1960s

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3
as in dinosaur
one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity his courtly manners marked him as a relic of a more refined and formal era

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in remains
relics plural a dead body though it is believed that missionary died in New Guinea, his relics have never been found

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of relic From the outside, the Bvlgari Hotel Roma is all clean lines and quiet authority, a relic of the city’s fascist-era architecture. Vicki Power, TheWeek, 31 Mar. 2026 For years, my bedroom TV was a heavy, buzzing relic from my college days that required a specific magic tap on the side just to stop the screen from flickering. Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026 Goldhaber’s reimagining of an ominous relic from an earlier era of media consumption may capture for audiences the sensation, for better or worse, of what life can be like in an ultra-connected world. Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026 This demonstrates that the Montreal Protocol isn’t just a relic of 1980s environmental activism. Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic
Noun
  • The restaurant is lit with neon and filled with eye-catching vintage cultural artifacts, many of which are highlighted on a light-box art wall to grab your attention.
    Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Scientists are tightening research protocols, adopting contamination controls from forensic science to ensure findings are real, not lab artifacts.
    Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • According to the Instagram video, the shop owners had traveled to England on a road trip in search of architectural antiques.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
  • More than 200 auction items donated by foundation members, local businesses and artists include antiques, artwork, garden supplies and experiences, the release said.
    Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Their spirit animal, Alex Karaban, is a college basketball dinosaur – a four-year, plant-your-feet-in-one-place-and-stay senior.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Tubi, Peacock, Amazon Prime Barney–the singing purple dinosaur who comes to life via the magic of children's imaginations–has been beloved over generations.
    Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Then gentrification gradually pushed most traces of Hispanic culture out of our neighborhood.
    Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The satellite also hosts the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, which aims to monitor key air quality trace gases and aerosols over Europe in support of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) at high spatial resolution and with a fast revisit time.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In the Seventies, he was mocked as a Vegas has-been in a jumpsuit; in the Eighties, as a cultural colonizer.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
  • When her estranged daughter unexpectedly moves into their crumbling Manhattan townhouse, the TV has-been is confronted with the one role she’s spent her entire life avoiding: motherhood.
    Peter White, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The following month, a hit squad, reportedly acting on bin Salman’s orders, strangled Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who had been critical of the regime, and used a bone saw to dismember his corpse.
    Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Organized crime exercises de facto control over vast swaths of the country, where the discovery of clandestine graves is commonplace, and thousands of corpses remain unidentified in morgues and public cemeteries.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • That said, the Google Maps image clearly shows remnants of the former entrance.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Along with their official duties, Rockingham said the group also had time to visit some of Rome’s significant sites, from a number of famous old churches to some of the remnants of ancient Rome, like the Colosseum.
    Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In that video, the influencer appears to come across what is seemingly the carcass of an alligator floating in the water and shoots it repeatedly.
    Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
  • City Parks workers were joined on the beach by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, which is assisting in securing the carcass, which drew onlookers throughout the day.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

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