ancient

Word family

• anciently
  adverbC2
• antiquity
  nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

'Old' is the broad everyday word and can describe almost anything: an old coat, an old friend, an old town. 'Ancient' is much stronger. It suggests extreme age, and often makes you picture something that has lasted for centuries, like an ancient wall or an ancient tree. 'Antique' is narrower still: it is mainly used for objects, especially ones valued because of age, style, or craftsmanship, such as antique furniture or antique silver. 'Aged' is more formal and often appears in fixed phrases like 'aged cheese' or official writing about older people. So you can say 'an old watch' in normal conversation, 'an ancient bridge' when you want to stress great age, and 'an antique clock' when the object is old and collectible.

Common collocations

Etymology

'Ancient' came into English through Old French 'ancien', meaning old or former. That French word goes back to Latin 'ante', meaning 'before'. In Middle English, 'ancient' first meant someone who had existed for a long time or who belonged to earlier times. Over time it became the usual adjective for things from the distant past, especially early civilizations such as Greece, Rome, and Egypt. The noun use, as in 'the ancients', developed from the same idea and refers to people who lived in those early times.