ARCHAIC Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'archaic' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of archaic are ancient , antiquated , antique , obsolete , old , and venerable . While all these words mean "having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past," archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time. // the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

Q: When could 'ancient' be used to replace 'archaic'?

The meanings of ancient and archaic largely overlap; however, ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past. // ancient accounts of dragons

Q: In what contexts can 'antiquated' take the place of 'archaic'?

The words antiquated and archaic can be used in similar contexts, but antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time. // antiquated teaching methods

Q: When is it sensible to use 'antique' instead of 'archaic'?

Although the words antique and archaic have much in common, antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time. // collected antique Chippendale furniture

Q: When is 'obsolete' a more appropriate choice than 'archaic'?

While in some cases nearly identical to archaic , 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

Q: When can 'old' be used instead of 'archaic'?

The words old and archaic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence. // old houses // an old sweater of mine

Q: Where would 'venerable' be a reasonable alternative to 'archaic'?

The synonyms venerable and archaic are sometimes interchangeable, but venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age. // the family's venerable patriarch

archaic

adjective

är-ˈkā-ik

Definition of archaic next

as in antiquated

having passed its time of use or usefulness the company needs to update its archaic computer system

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the adjective archaic differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of archaic are ancient, antiquated, antique, obsolete, old, and venerable. While all these words mean "having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past," archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

When could ancient be used to replace archaic?

The meanings of ancient and archaic largely overlap; however, ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

In what contexts can antiquated take the place of archaic?

The words antiquated and archaic can be used in similar contexts, but antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

When is it sensible to use antique instead of archaic?

Although the words antique and archaic have much in common, antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

When is obsolete a more appropriate choice than archaic?

While in some cases nearly identical to archaic, 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

When can old be used instead of archaic?

The words old and archaic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses

an old sweater of mine

Where would venerable be a reasonable alternative to archaic?

The synonyms venerable and archaic are sometimes interchangeable, but venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

Examples Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of archaic One of the important things Conclave does is to slowly peel back archaic layers to reveal what all the hocus-pocus represents in this day and age. —

Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024 On October 19, Gomez hit the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' red carpet wearing a stunning velvet navy Alaïa gown featuring an hourglass silhouette, deep scoop neckline, and black leather peek-a-boo bustier, once again bucking archaic fashion rules about the controversial color combo. —

Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2024 That finding means archaic humans had more than one copy of AMY1 as far back as 800,000 years ago. —

Katie Hunt, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024 The new Nissan charging network, app abilities, and NACS adapter news notably do not apply to the Nissan Leaf, which still bears the burden of carrying the dying CHAdeMO DC fast charging port standard and archaic connectivity software with the NissanConnect EV and Services app. —

Umar Shakir, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for archaic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for archaic

Adjective

Such a prospect is one that the city’s antiquated water orthodoxy has never managed to fathom.

Tom Philp, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Ahead of Election Day Cyclorama: The Shape of Things contains a wide spread of imagery: footage on both pro- and anti-segregation riots, recordings from antiquated circus acts featuring a dancing elephant, silhouettes of what appear to be Southern belles in hoop skirts that laugh over tea.

Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024