1
as in venerable
dating or surviving from the distant past
Rome's ancient ruins remain carefully preserved even in the midst of the bustle of the modern city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in older
being of advanced years and especially past middle age
used to think that age 40 was ancient until I turned 40 myself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in primitive
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
the ancient Inca built a vast network of roads
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in elder
a person of advanced years
ancients in the tribe are accorded great respect and valued for their wisdom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in maturity
the state of being an old person
if nothing else, the patriarch had achieved a degree of ancientness worthy of veneration
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in antiquity
the state of being something old
the ancientness of the papyrus was authenticated by carbon dating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ancient
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
As an ancient threat endangers Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the unlikely friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2025
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025
No full moons, no silver bullets, no ancients curses and the like, just a title card at the beginning of the film stating that wolf man sightings have been a phenomenon since indigenious peoples ruled the Americas.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancient
Adjective
Based on the location of the graveyard, its age and scale, archaeologists concluded the horses belonged to an ancient Roman military unit stationed in the area during the second century A.D., officials said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025
As an ancient threat endangers Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the unlikely friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
Read More: These 5 Ancient Civilizations Treasured Their Pets
Coping with Critters
The discovery of archeological remains has helped scientists better understand how ancients coped with bothersome critters.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2025
No full moons, no silver bullets, no ancients curses and the like, just a title card at the beginning of the film stating that wolf man sightings have been a phenomenon since indigenious peoples ruled the Americas.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ancient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ancient
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump had pursued one venerable D.C. firm, Covington & Burling, with an executive order that revoked security clearances for lawyers representing the former special counsel Jack Smith.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Bill Owens, executive producer of the venerable Sunday night news magazine, suggested the show’s editorial independence has been whittled away as corporate parent Paramount seeks to make peace with Trump.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
-
Ferguson often seeks out antique or vintage French bistro wicker, and looks out for names like Franco Albini, Nanimarquina, Bielecky Brothers, and Atelier Vime.—
Blake Bakkila,
Architectural Digest,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The space is filled with handmade, antique, and secondhand items including dishes, furniture, jewelry, and art.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Morales' older brother, Ricardo, confirmed his death in a post on X, formerly Twitter.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Not content just to confirm its arrival, Veach deftly sliced a slit in the plastic to minimize any potential forensic trail, removed the new game and swapped in the old version before carefully rewrapping it.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Well, a team of scientists unearthed ancient footprints that offer insight into how various prehistoric animals lived as far back as 50 million years.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Before boarding the barge in Inverness, travelers can visit Culloden Moor, the scene of the famous 1746 battle, a pivotal moment in Outlander and Clava Cairns, the burial site of a prehistoric clan chieftain, widely believed to have inspired the standing stones of Craigh na Dun in the series.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Also, the pass includes several mountain excursions and free admission to more than 500 museums throughout Switzerland. Not to be missed is the medieval town of Gruyères about 80 miles from Geneva.—
Jeryl Brunner,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
The stakes of the story become ever more human-on-human, with zombies largely relegated to one epic battle that sits at the cinematic junction of western, medieval and samurai.—
Mike Hale,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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He was charged him with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult; Allen lost his left arm after a 1984 car accident.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
22 Apr. 2025
-
That’s what happened after two firefighters died in California in 2020 while searching for an elderly woman in a burning library.—
Mark Olalde,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Trumpism is about ego, appetite and acquisitiveness and is driven by a primal aversion to the higher elements of the human spirit — learning, compassion, scientific wonder, the pursuit of justice.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2025
-
On This Week’s Episode: Stories of people confronted with stealing, lying, killing and more of those old, primal rules of life.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancient. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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