RELIC Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

relic

noun

ˈre-lik

Definition of relic

as in artifact

a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished a crude stone ax and other relics of the Neanderthals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in antique

something belonging to or surviving from an earlier period in my grandparents' attic are many "groovy" relics from the 1960s

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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

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 The Slovenian is not the only relic that has emerged from Europe's drying rivers. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 Yet to me, that history of my grandmother’s single light bulb and low bill is more than a relic of early electrification. — Destenie Nock, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026 Enclosed by a network of 13th-century walls, the narrow streets of old York host myriad awe-inspiring relics from its pre-industrial past, perhaps the most famous being York Minster, one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals anywhere. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026 The fragment is a Ptolemaic relic that dates to around 285-250 BCE, and was rendered with a stylus, using charcoal and water on papyrus. — News Desk, Artforum, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic

Noun

Weygold, who died in 1941, collected Native American art and artifacts, taught himself the Lakota language, and advised European museums on Native American art.

— Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
The institution also preserves artifacts connected to his grandfather’s maritime history.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of artifact

Noun

Incorporating antique finds, greenery, and utilizing your home’s quirky features, like alcoves and nooks, are just a few of the ways your home is set apart from the rest on the block.

— Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2026
Paintings, artwork, sculptures, stamps, statuary, other collector’s pieces (such as pieces of archaeology), as well as antiques older than 100 years but not over 250 years old are listed, as are suitcases, trunks, vanities and other types of bags.

— Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of antique

Noun

Hathaway plays a suburban mom whose neighborhood is suddenly and mysteriously transported from 1982 to prehistoric times, putting family and neighbors at the mercy of hungry dinosaurs.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
The real end of Oak Street comes not from the feet and chompers of the dinosaurs but from a moviemaker who revives the idyllic 1980s only to desecrate them with wokeness.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of dinosaur

Noun

Espinal-Del Cid is facing charges of criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse and other offenses, Khan said.

— Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
He was initially booked on a felony abuse of corpse charge before authorities later added a murder charge, police said in a news release.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of corpse

Noun

The battle over growing cannabis under the sun is somewhat ironic because hemp, which is the cannabis plant with only trace amounts of the delta-9 THC that gets users high, can be legally grown nationwide in farm fields.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Geologists will map deep source rocks, trace migration pathways through fault networks, and run isotope studies to measure the rate of continuous hydrogen production.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of trace

Noun

Brett Goldstein’s seething has-been, Roy Kent, has replaced Ted as the men’s coach; Beard (co-creator Brendan Hunt) stuck around to assist Roy but has gone feral in the absence of his professional soulmate.

— Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of has-been

Noun

The $4 billion white steel, glass, and marble design by the Spanish Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava — alternately compared to a cathedral and a whale carcass — looks and feels like nothing else on the planet, much less a mall.

— Anne Kadet, Curbed, 24 Aug. 2026
Though researchers have observed evidence of humans hunting large megafauna in later periods, the discovery suggests that early humans processed elephant carcasses more systematically.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of carcass

Noun

Flooding from its remnants also caused at least 10 deaths in southern France, the hurricane center reported.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
The entire collection was made from the fabrics, trims, notions, and remnants that have accumulated at its studio over the years.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of remnant

Browse Nearby Words

reliant

relic

relics

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of relic

noun

Example Sentences

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