1
: having the characteristics of the language of the past and surviving chiefly in specialized uses
an archaic word
Note: In this dictionary the label archaic is affixed to words and senses relatively common in earlier times but infrequently used in present-day English.
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an earlier or more primitive time : antiquated
archaic legal traditions
3
capitalized
: of or belonging to the early or formative phases of a culture or a period of artistic development
especially
: of or belonging to the period leading up to the classical period of Greek culture
4
: surviving from an earlier period
specifically
: typical of a previously dominant evolutionary stage
5
capitalized
: of or relating to the period from about 8000 b.c. to 1000 b.c. and the North American cultures of that time
Synonyms
Examples of archaic in a Sentence
The author is a bluestocking, with a weakness for etymology and archaic religious texts, her body of work lauded for revealing the sacred in the ordinary.
—
Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 21 Dec. 2008
Europe's economic growth and productivity, Judt reminds us, for all the horror stories about archaic work regulations and inflexible labor markets, has remained impressive up to the current moment.
—John T. McGreevy, Commonweal, 24 Mar. 2006
Between the upper limit of radiocarbon dating (about 50 ka) and the lower limit of radiogenic potassium dating (about 0.5 Ma) there used to exist a chronological lacuna that I call the Gap. This temporal range encompasses the transition of archaic humans into fully modern forms, so the lack of a reliable means of dating fossils from the Gap was disconcerting.
—Ervan G. Garrison, Physics Today, October 2001
The company needs to update its archaic computer systems.
Kathryn Harrison, New York Times Book Review, 21 Dec. 2008
Europe's economic growth and productivity, Judt reminds us, for all the horror stories about archaic work regulations and inflexible labor markets, has remained impressive up to the current moment.
—John T. McGreevy, Commonweal, 24 Mar. 2006
Between the upper limit of radiocarbon dating (about 50 ka) and the lower limit of radiogenic potassium dating (about 0.5 Ma) there used to exist a chronological lacuna that I call the Gap. This temporal range encompasses the transition of archaic humans into fully modern forms, so the lack of a reliable means of dating fossils from the Gap was disconcerting.
—Ervan G. Garrison, Physics Today, October 2001
The company needs to update its archaic computer systems.
Recent Examples on the Web
In this still, Ella Hunt (who plays Gilda Radner in the film) takes a ride on the archaic crane.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024
Before cuneiform, however, there was an archaic script using abstract pictographic signs called proto-cuneiform.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Meade said that restrictive voting laws for people who have come out of prison in Florida stem from archaic Jim Crow-era legislation passed when voter suppression of African Americans surged during Segregation.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Yet as societies and technologies evolve, what will become of the archaic winking-face emoji?
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archaic 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024
Before cuneiform, however, there was an archaic script using abstract pictographic signs called proto-cuneiform.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Meade said that restrictive voting laws for people who have come out of prison in Florida stem from archaic Jim Crow-era legislation passed when voter suppression of African Americans surged during Segregation.
—Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Yet as societies and technologies evolve, what will become of the archaic winking-face emoji?
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archaic
Articles Related to archaic
Dictionary Entries Near archaic
Cite this Entry
“Archaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archaic. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archaic
adjective
ar·cha·ic
är-ˈkā-ik 
: of, relating to, characteristic of, or surviving from an earlier time
especially
: no longer in general use
the archaic words "methinks" and "saith"
Medical Definition
archaic
adjective
ar·cha·ic
är-ˈkā-ik
1
: typical of a previously dominant evolutionary stage
archaic features of a fossil skull
2
: having the characteristics of primitive humans and their animal forebears especially as represented in the unconscious and appearing in behavior as manifestations of the unconscious
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