Synonyms of classical

classical

adjective

ˈkla-si-kəl 

1

as in traditional

based on customs usually handed down from a previous generation

the classical preparation of a ham for Easter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• traditional
• customary
• conventional
• usual
• historical
• old
• prescriptive
• authentic
• historic
• common
• ancient
• orthodox
• ancestral
• established
• fixed
• old-time
• habitual
• old-world
• timeless
• hoary
• venerable
• aged
• age-old
• immemorial
• antediluvian
• ageless
• dateless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modern
• contemporary
• nontraditional
• unconventional
• new
• current
• untraditional
• present-day
• modernized
• updated
• up-to-date
• new age
• latest
• modernistic
• original
• futuristic
• uncustomary
• high-tech
• progressive
• state-of-the-art
• ultramodern
• hot
• unusual
• newfangled
• revolutionary
• red-hot
• unorthodox
• mod
• unprecedented
• nonconformist
• supermodern
• new-fashioned
• space-age
• nonorthodox

2

as in authoritative

being the most accurate and apparently thorough

a writer celebrated for his classical profiles of eminent Victorians

Synonyms & Similar Words

• authoritative
• classic
• definitive
• comprehensive
• magisterial
• accurate
• official
• conclusive
• decisive
• correct
• approved
• complete
• sanctioned
• exhaustive
• thorough

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of classical

The lobby, which feels like an entry to a villa on Lake Como, is modeled after the classical Renaissance designs of architect Andrea Palladio and boasts high, curved ceilings; clean lines; colonnades; large proportions; and oversized fireplaces. — Katie Sweeney, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Some artists have eras, experimental phases, detours, creative dalliances; Arthur Russell’s career, for all its seeming contradictions—classical minimalism and lascivious disco, Zen Buddhist mantras and winsome country pop—was a continuum. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 27 June 2026

The state’s first orchestra, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1894, one of many classical ensembles that began about 50 years after the oldest symphony in the country, the New York Philharmonic, was founded. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026

After the United States was founded in 1776, leaders like Thomas Jefferson chose to emulate classical architecture when building its Washington, DC, capital as a nod to the democratic ideals of the Greek and Roman empires. — Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 4 July 2026