Definition of relicnext
1
2
as in antique
something belonging to or surviving from an earlier period in my grandparents' attic are many "groovy" relics from the 1960s

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in dinosaur
one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity his courtly manners marked him as a relic of a more refined and formal era

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in remains
relics plural a dead body though it is believed that missionary died in New Guinea, his relics have never been found

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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 relic Even the rarest materials—Basra pearls, Golconda diamonds—get new life in a striking pair of earrings from Santi that mimic Maharaja ornamentation without feeling like ancient relics. Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 June 2026 The series centers on Shao, a girl from a place called the Alley whose world unravels when her sister Rei goes missing during a relic-smuggling operation in the Garden – a sacred realm accessible only through rare red beans. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 June 2026 Monuments, syllabi, grant priorities—these are not sacred relics but civic choices. The Atlantic, 16 June 2026 Over centuries, relics of saints have been buried in the caves, according to UNESCO. Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for relic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic
Noun
  • Mattox wore a red Balmoral Park racetrack baseball cap to a Crete Area Historical Society meeting last week, dedicated to sharing memories and artifacts spanning the facility’s 100-year history.
    Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026
  • In the far north of the Roman Empire, this Egyptian-meets-Greek artifact was found, exhibiting just how far the mélange of cultures traveled.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Noun
  • Each room has an eclectic mix of contemporary art, antiques, textiles, rugs, and books, and also features a fireplace and generous seating areas.
    Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2026
  • Many of the items will eventually be exhibited within a museum the historical society plans to open at a former antiques store on Exchange Avenue that has been decades in the making, Piepenbrink said.
    Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026
Noun
  • The sculptor has designed giant dinosaurs and monuments to his country’s independence heroes in Cutral Co, an oil-producing town that has never attracted nearly as much attention as other Patagonian communities surrounded by picturesque lakes and mountains.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 June 2026
  • As anyone knows on the digital side of things, waiting half a year to make orders that respond to live customer action data makes for lags as long as dinosaur legs.
    David Doty, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • The family project is interrupted by the appearance of a corpse – that of an annoying neighbor (played by John Carroll Lynch) with a habit of buzzing his woodchipper in the middle of the family’s filmmaking efforts.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 June 2026
  • One concern of mine was corpses.
    Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • So Jamon pulled up to Stribley Park this day wearing all black, with no trace of red except a splash across his Nikes.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 June 2026
  • While low iron, magnesium, or other trace nutrients may also cause yellowing, nitrogen is a primary nutrient and is the most likely culprit.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2026
Noun
  • In the Seventies, he was mocked as a Vegas has-been in a jumpsuit; in the Eighties, as a cultural colonizer.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
  • When her estranged daughter unexpectedly moves into their crumbling Manhattan townhouse, the TV has-been is confronted with the one role she’s spent her entire life avoiding: motherhood.
    Peter White, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Its carcass washed up not far from a coastal trail, drawing onlookers.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 22 June 2026
  • As the carcass drifts on the surface, it is pushed by ocean currents and scavenged by sharks before the gases dissipate.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026
Noun
  • The heavy rain, fueled in part by the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur, drenched much of the Southeast from Texas to the Florida Panhandle, causing flash flood emergencies, washing out roads, and prompting emergency rescues.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 20 June 2026
  • The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with drenching rains and strong wind on Thursday, tearing through buildings, flooding homes and launching water rescues along the Gulf Coast.
    CBS News, CBS News, 19 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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