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June 03, 2018 Word of the Day

ancient /ˈeɪnʃənt/ adjective
ancient
/ˈeɪnʃənt/
adjective
Tourists visiting an ancient ruin in Rome
Tourists visiting an ancient ruin in Rome
Definition of ANCIENT

[more ancient; most ancient]

1 : very old : having lived or existed for a very long time

  • The people in the village still observe the ancient customs/traditions of their ancestors.

  • a grove of ancient oak trees

— often used in an exaggerated way to describe an old machine, person, etc.

  • We got a ride in an ancient truck.

  • an ancient barn

  • I never thought I'd feel ancient at age 31.

  • She finally decided to replace her ancient computer with something more modern and up to date.

2 : of, coming from, or belonging to a time that was long ago in the past

  • The practice was more common in ancient times than it is now.

  • life in ancient Egypt/Rome/Greece/China

  • the gods of the ancient Romans

◊ In informal use, something that happened long ago and that is not important any more is ancient history.

  • Our relationship is ancient history.

  • Forget about the problems we've had in the past. They're ancient history.

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