antiquated

adjective

an·​ti·​quat·​ed ˈan-tə-ˌkwā-təd How to pronounce antiquated (audio)
Synonyms of antiquatednext
1
: outmoded or discredited by reason of age : old and no longer useful, popular, or accepted
antiquated ideas
antiquated methods of farming
antiquated machinery
antiquated slang
2
: obsolete
an antiquated calendar
3
: advanced in age

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for antiquated

old, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete mean having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past.

old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses
an old sweater of mine

ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence.

a computer that makes earlier models obsolete

Examples of antiquated in a Sentence

He has some pretty antiquated opinions about politics. saw an antiquated hand-cranked rope-making machine at the textiles museum
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Cuba remained largely without power on Saturday morning, after the island nation's grid collapsed the night before, knocking out electricity for 10 million people and raising fresh questions about the viability of its antiquated generating system. — Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025 Looking at the math of our antiquated plurality voting system, the Democrats’ actions may seem rational. — Rob Richie, Twin Cities, 12 Mar. 2025 Congress recognized that this disparity in bargaining power, which was the result of an antiquated legal decision that most everyone agreed was generally incorrect, contributed to the 1994 strike that caused so much public consternation. — Chris Deubert, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 While Russia has a single, antiquated aircraft carrier, the UK alone has two modern carriers capable of launching F-35B stealth fighters. — Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for antiquated

Word History

Etymology

see antiquate

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of antiquated was in 1587

Rhymes for antiquated

See All Rhymes for antiquated

Browse Nearby Words

antiquated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Antiquated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antiquated. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

antiquated

adjective
an·​ti·​quat·​ed
ˈant-ə-ˌkwāt-əd
1
: obsolete sense 1
2
: old-fashioned sense 1, outmoded
antiquated methods of farming
3
: advanced in age

More from Merriam-Webster on antiquated

Nglish: Translation of antiquated for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All