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
  • Clark Shotwell plays the airplane enthusiast who gets a taste of first class – and chicken cordon bleu – flying with his actress mom to Hollywood in a throwback fable from a kid's perspective.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 May 2026
  • That combination — throwback excitement plus icy intrigue — proves to be a winning one.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • In his urban dramas, Kurosawa can open a frame onto the sprawl of Tokyo; on a historical set, any exterior view risks revealing a studio wall or an anachronism.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 May 2026
  • This visitor-repellant monstrosity was an anachronism when new and got worse over time.
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 2 May 2026
Noun
  • Watching others defy death on wheels, or testing your own skills in its shadow, has been part of sport since the charioteers of antiquity.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • The Kaaba itself is a roughly cubic gray granite structure about 43 feet tall, which Muslims believe was established by the Prophet Abraham – Ibrahim in Arabic – and his son Ishmael as a place of monotheistic worship in antiquity.
    Iqbal Akhtar, The Conversation, 25 May 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 10 Jun. 2026.

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