archaism

Definition of archaismnext

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 archaism Narrator Mary Lewis, raised in Newfoundland herself, delivers the book in a manner that seems stilted at first but grows more appealing as Lewis moves further into the story, with its pleasing archaisms and evocation of balked communication. Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2020 That phrase, which may strike some young American ears as an archaism if not an oxymoron, is worth unpacking, and Amis provides readers with a pocket account of the historical preconditions of his extravagant fame. A.o. Scott, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2018 For the Latin American left, that vision has congealed into archaism. The Economist, 12 Oct. 2017 But the main challenge for any translator is to remain true to Virgil without wrenching him into archaism or stiffness. Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 22 Sep. 2017 Full of archaisms, the language has a neo-Nabokovian extravagance, occasionally overindulgent. Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for archaism
Noun
  • To celebrate, his daughter Lorraine Nicholson shared a tribute on Instagram stories, dazzling fans with a throwback photo and a peek into her father’s life now.
    Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Below, here's a look back at Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson's cutest throwback photos.
    Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But like the handsome, burgundy Chevy that actually pulls up onstage (one curious anachronism among several), Lane doesn’t have the air of a beat-up workhorse.
    Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The building stands amid all the flash, the gleam, the wow of new Miami, something of an architectural anachronism.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Even the most complimentary appraisals of Raphael, which celebrate his multimodal genius—painter, draftsman, architect, poet, surveyor of antiquities—also mention his exquisite social tact and career climbing.
    Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • The prosecutor said the antiquities unit traced the books to South Carolina in 2006 but was unaware of their chain of custody until then.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Since war broke out in late February, the show in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia province, had grown increasingly popular, as interest surges among Chinese people in a nearby nation and culture that rivals their own in its depth and ancientness.
    Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Archaism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archaism. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

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