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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 The pericardium relic is expected to be in Rome for the day of Acutis' canonization. Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025 The property transfer and payment afforded the city funding to knock down the five-story relic — which had been unused and deteriorating for decades — but clearing the lot of its large pile of debris remained a financial and logistical hurdle. Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025 Leafing through this album was like poring over beloved relics from my fashion-magazine-loving youth. Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025 Archaeologists in Alexandria, Egypt, recently recovered the ruins and relics of a 2,000-year-old city. Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for relic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic
Noun
  • The adventurous archaeologist travels the globe looking for missing artifacts and historical treasures.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The artifacts included thimbles, a needle remnant and buttons — in addition to animal bones that showed signs of butchering.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • While Tranter’s poking around the deadly antique, a high-ranking police officer named Zuzana (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is focused on protecting the public.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
  • To do so, a Smithsonian team traveled across the country and held events in which thousands of ordinary people brought in antiques and heirlooms to donate.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Paleontologists have discovered a new species of plant-eating dinosaur measuring at 39 feet long.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Season 5 sees the universe expand with new worlds and characters such as alternative Boobas, dinosaurs and a robot from the future.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Viper represents a novel capability to deploy from a distance, operate without being detected and then depart without leaving a trace, in a way that would be impossible otherwise.
    David Hambling, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Vogue’s senior beauty shopping writer Kiana Murden has been hooked on it since her first trial—using it to not only remove traces of foundation, but also refresh her skin in the morning.
    Iman Balagam, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
  • Sonny strides onto the track with unruffled cool—a Pitt signature—and is laconic enough to endure a series of press conferences at which journalists are quick to label him a has-been.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • She is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant, the Lexington Police Department said in a news release.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The scene in which Mary Ellen walks through a maze of corpses only to find one of herself?
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The walls are the only remnants of the old hotel site.
    Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
  • British archaeologists recently found the remnants of a 17th-century house where Isaac Newton’s mother lived – not far from the site of his famous apple tree.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • With a tractor supplied by a nearby farmer, the carcass was transported to a secure location.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Once, a meat processor asked about plugs to keep entrails from sheep carcasses from spilling onto production lines.
    Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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