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

Ancient, antiquated, antique, old-fashioned refer to something dating from the past. Ancient implies existence or first occurrence in a distant past: an ancient custom.

ANCIENT definition: 1. of or from a long time ago, having lasted for a very long time: 2. very old: 3. used to refer…. Learn more.

Ancient means belonging to the distant past, especially to the period in history before the end of the Roman Empire. They believed ancient Greece and Rome were vital sources of learning.

Define ancient. ancient synonyms, ancient pronunciation, ancient translation, English dictionary definition of ancient. adj. 1. Of, relating to, or belonging to times long past, especially before the fall …

Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of …

Mar 8, 2026 · ancient (comparative ancienter or more ancient, superlative ancientest or most ancient) Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.

There are 21 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word ancient, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Definition of ancient adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

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