Advertisement
Advertisement
archaic
[ ahr-key-ik ]
adjective
- marked by the characteristics of an earlier period; antiquated:
an archaic manner; an archaic notion.
- (of a linguistic form) commonly used in an earlier time but rare in present-day usage except to suggest the older time, as in religious rituals or historical novels. Examples:
thou; wast; methinks; forsooth.
- forming the earliest stage; prior to full development:
the archaic period of psychoanalytic research.
- (often initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the style of the fine arts, especially painting and sculpture, developed in Greece from the middle 7th to the early 5th century b.c., chiefly characterized by an increased emphasis on the human figure in action, naturalistic proportions and anatomical structure, simplicity of volumes, forms, or design, and the evolution of a definitive style for the narrative treatment of subject matter. Compare classical ( def 6 ), Hellenistic ( def 5 ).
- primitive; ancient; old:
an archaic form of animal life.
archaic
/ ɑːˈkeɪɪk /
adjective
- belonging to or characteristic of a much earlier period; ancient
- out of date; antiquated
an archaic prison system
- (of idiom, vocabulary, etc) characteristic of an earlier period of a language and not in ordinary use
Usage Note
Derived Forms
- arˈchaically, adverb
Other Words From
- ar·chai·cal·ly adverb
- pseudo·ar·chaic adjective
- pseudo·ar·chai·cal·ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of archaic1
Example Sentences
They don’t want the government involved in their relationship, or they believe the institution of marriage is archaic.
This moment of reckoning with LGBTQ+ veterans is an opportunity for the Pentagon to rethink its archaic military discharge system.
One could also ask if Johnson thinks the ECRA, which reformed the original and somewhat archaic law, is as well.
That’s when Williams, convicted earlier this year, sent Edwards the first images that count as “indecent”, the archaic legalese for depictions of abuse.
“There is nothing archaic or remote about it,” Lévi-Strauss concluded about totemism.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse