antediluvian
Americanadjective
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of or belonging to the period before the Biblical Flood.
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very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive.
antediluvian ideas.
noun
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a person who lived before the Biblical Flood.
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a very old or old-fashioned person or thing.
adjective
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belonging to the ages before the biblical Flood (Genesis 7, 8)
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old-fashioned or antiquated
noun
Etymology
Origin of antediluvian
First recorded in 1640–50; ante- + Latin dīluvi(um) “a flood, deluge” + -an; see origin at deluge
Explanation
Antediluvian means "before the flood" — that is, the Biblical flood with Noah's ark. Generally, though, the word is used — often humorously — to describe something really, really old. In popular language, antediluvian is almost always used to exaggerate how comically, ridiculously old and out-of-date something is. You may laugh at your parents' antediluvian ideas of what's proper for going out on a date. And how about those antediluvian computers they still insist are fine! When the word was coined in the seventeenth century, however, it was meant literally. Back then, the science of reconstructing the Earth's history used the Bible as a frame of reference.
Vocabulary lists containing antediluvian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Microsoft released the first version of Internet Explorer in 1995, the antediluvian era of web surfing dominated by the first widely popular browser, Netscape Navigator.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
So, $23.7 billion annually to renovate an antediluvian water system?
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2021
Moreover, the months-long outpouring of such obnoxious, antediluvian expressions by some who profess loyalty to VMI only reinforces persuasive evidence that the school’s culture is in dire need of a sea change.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2021
She rode past a parking lot containing an assortment of antediluvian cars and trucks, some so old they still had steering wheels, real ones, not the cosmetic kind.
From Slate ● May 29, 2021
Bromley Cheston," exclaimed Albina, "do not ask me to play any of those antediluvian Scotch songs.
From Pencil Sketches or, Outlines of Character and Manners by Eliza Leslie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
