ancient1
/ˈeɪnʃ(ə)nt
/adjective
1Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence: the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean...
- According to the newspaper, the coin belonged to an ancient civilization that flourished in Al-Jouf.
- A few of the other welcoming faces belonged to friends from my ancient past as a corporate drone.
- While few details of the screenplay, written by Gibson himself, have been released, the story concerns an ancient civilization 3000 years in the past.
Synonyms
of long ago, earliest, first, early, past, former, bygone;
prehistoric, primeval, primordial, primitive;
classical
literary olden, of yore, foregone
1.1Having been in existence for a very long time: ancient forests...
- Simply put, the tactic has been to make the Clayoquot issue too hard to follow, and in the confusion evade having to fundamentally change the practice of logging in ancient forests.
- Squinting through nostalgia's rose-tinted eye, I see beautifully realised dungeons and ancient forests with evil monsters and talking walls and things.
- It is about the survival of the ancient shola forests of Tamil Nadu, with whatever is left of their endemic flora and fauna after the tampering of colonial and independent India.
Synonyms
old, very old, age-old, antediluvian, time-worn, time-honoured, immemorial, long-lived;
atavistic
1.2 humorous Showing or feeling signs of age or wear: an ancient pair of jeans you make me feel ancient...
- I've now lost more than necessary, and am again able to wear ancient pairs of jeans from my youth.
- Young defender Gareth Barry is a bright spot, but signing two ancient pros in Luc Nillis and David Ginola is finger in the dyke stuff.
- The neighboring buildings had been updated and shuffled from owner to owner, but this one still had an ancient sign with peeling paint and faded print.
Synonyms
antiquated, archaic, antediluvian, medieval, obsolete, obsolescent, superannuated, anachronistic, old-fashioned, out of date, outmoded;
aged, elderly, venerable, hoary, decrepit;
French démodé, passé
informal fossilized, as old as the hills, cobwebby, in one's dotage, out of the ark, creaky, clunky, mouldy
British informal past its/one's sell-by date
North American informal mossy, horse and buggy
noun archaic or humorous
An old man: a solitary ancient in a tweed jacket...
- Sorin (Jozsef Gyabronka, one of the actors who can always be heard) is not the usual whingeing ancient, but a sardonic, angry old man who can laugh bitterly at himself.
- The team is largely staffed with ancients and has-beens.
- Some ancients still get a sparkle in their eyes when they remember surfing both swells.
Phrases
the Ancient of Days
the ancients
Derivatives
ancientness
- As I sucked the iceberg piece, contemplating its ancientness, trying to taste the armor of Caesar or the ash of Krakatoa in infinitesimal traces, the pristine cold water seemed to evaporate through my membranes with no intervening stage.
- It was the sort of roiling, writhing ancientness I expected.
- People of Indian origin, although not from upper castes, will mobilise the ancientness of Indian culture to claim superiority.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French ancien, based on Latin ante 'before'.
ancient2
/ˈeɪnʃ(ə)nt/noun archaic
A standard, flag, or ensign.The ancient was a banner bearing an heraldic device, the token of ancient or noble descent, borne by a gentleman or a leader in a war.
Origin
Mid 16th century: alteration of ensign by association with ancien, an early form of ancient1.