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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ancient
Katie Rife, EW.com, 11 May 2025
Created by Dan Harmon, the series is set in an ancient Greece where humans, gods and mythical creatures interact.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 10 May 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
The series travels around the land now known as the United States, meeting tribal stewards keeping ancient traditions alive, Native chefs innovating for 21st-century palates, and historians whose research attempts to recover recipes lost long ago.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 11 May 2025
Created by Dan Harmon, the series is set in an ancient Greece where humans, gods and mythical creatures interact.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 10 May 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
-
The venerable system of health clinics, based in South Los Angeles, on Thursday joined about 10 other nonprofits in launching a media campaign that will focus on half a dozen U.S. House districts where Republican lawmakers have supported the president’s initial budget plan.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The process includes several stages: servant of God, venerable, blessed (through beatification), and finally, saint (through canonization).—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 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
-
So when an overconfident Dedra enters the antique shop on her own to arrest Luthen, and Luthen takes advantage of this to attempt suicide so he can’t be forced to turn on his allies, Kleya is given an impossible but necessary task.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2025
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The event will feature antique cars, food trucks and artisan merchandise.such as handmade pillows, bath items, jewelry, glassware and handmade cards.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, the new standard will be backward-compatible with Wi-Fi 6 devices, as well as older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) ones.—
Iyaz Akhtar,
PC Magazine,
13 May 2025
-
Applicants must be 6 years or older as of the beginning of Oct. 4 to participate.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
The existence of any prehistoric apex predators in the islands of the Caribbean used to be doubted.—
Ashley Belanger – May 16,
ArsTechnica,
16 May 2025
-
The original show gave the prehistoric reptiles the nature documentary treatment, offering glimpses of a world that was ruled by dinosaurs millions of years ago through the magic of CGI and animatronics.—
Maira Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
After being updated by Patel, the script combines medieval knights with feudal India.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
10 May 2025
-
The tradition of the funeral procession actually dates back to Ancient Egypt (maybe even earlier!), and spans throughout the Greco-Roman empire, the medieval age, the Renaissance, and continues to modern day.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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Authorities were working to identify some of the victims, most of whom were elderly women.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2025
-
Owners vow new appeal in case of CT dog that killed an elderly woman Six-year court battle over the dog that killed an elderly woman is on track to continue even as total expenses run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.—
Diana Urban,
Hartford Courant,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
In this whole revelation that’s happened to him, some unexpected, primal thing is released.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
7 May 2025
-
The film celebrates artists who challenge the status quo and give voice to those on the fringes of society, all accompanied by a soundtrack that mixes traditional Japanese music with the thudding drums, wailing guitar, and primal screams of modern rock.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ancient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ancient. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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