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
  • What’s especially delightful about this is that to see a truly camp film at all feels like a throwback.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
  • But what do all these feel-good throwbacks add up to?
    Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In an era where AI is rewriting the rules of business, former leaders from pre-AI landscape defined by complex supply chains, legacy engineering and capital-intensive growth may seem an anachronism.
    Kody Boye March 10, Sacbee.com, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Sweetings is a happy anachronism.
    Cass Farrar, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Defenders of the new classics—with its incorporation of race, gender, pop culture, and comparative frameworks—see it as a more faithful representation of antiquity itself.
    Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Some mining companies received licenses to work inside sites without clearance from the antiquities authority due to war conditions.
    Eissa Dafallah, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Archaism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archaism. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.

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