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

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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 Kardashian, who attended the Met Gala with ex Pete Davidson that year, underwent a physical transformation just to fit into the relic. Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026 Personals like this one may feel like a relic—Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji, New York’s mayor and his wife, met on Hinge, after all—but love and lust have been satisfied by column inches since the 1800s. Zara Meerza, Air Mail, 2 May 2026 This relic hasn’t provided an economic benefit to the community for ages. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026 The central stupa also houses various sacred relics, including tooth relics of the Buddha obtained from Sri Lanka. Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for relic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic
Noun
  • The presence of gold suggests that these artifacts were owned by the elite, indicating the social class of the individual who deposited the rings in what appears to be a purposeful manner, as reported by Archaeology News.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
  • The question of how Venus’s atmosphere affects probes isn’t just about the past—the list of artifacts may be growing soon because more probes are set to land on Venus.
    Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • The office itself leans toward old-school classicism, its conference and sitting rooms decorated with museum-quality Hudson River School paintings and 19th-century antiques.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 6 May 2026
  • Inside, more than 240 antiques and artworks included in the sale—neoclassical busts, paintings, vintage furnishings, and ritual objects—animate its roughly 2,500 square feet.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 May 2026
Noun
  • Oversized animals, including dinosaurs, bulls, roosters, hens and seals, also multiplied.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
  • As a species, the Maiasaura continued to stand out as exceptional among dinosaurs.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
Noun
  • Our protoplanetary disk has long since evaporated, as has any trace of a circumstellar debris disk.
    Big Think, Big Think, 8 May 2026
  • The last trace of Boston Jersey or George Walker was his discharge from a different ship, the HMS Deptford, in August 1753, probably in Port Mahon in Menorca, according to the National Trust.
    Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 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
  • They'd be heralded not by rippling explosions or flash frozen corpses floating against a tapestry of stars, but instead by oxygen, almost imperceptibly slipping away or radiation slowly accumulating in our cells over years.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026
  • Of the three roach corpses in the kitchen, one roach died on top of a metal tray inside the three-compartment sink.
    David J. Neal May 8, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • While there are traces of the home’s original state, including remnants of wallpaper under the basement stairs, much has been changed in the Prevost family’s absence.
    Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
  • Now, however, the team behind the new research believes the events are caused when a compact stellar remnant, like a black hole or a neutron star, slams into the universe's hottest class of star, massive stellar bodies called Wolf-Rayet stars.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • However, discrepancy is understandable due to the carcass coming ashore deflated, like a big creepy balloon with the air let out.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
  • On the other hand, in deep enough water, his carcass would likely fall to the ocean floor and foster a miniature ecosystem for years to come.
    Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

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