ancient
[adjective]
Synonyms: old, aged, antique, archaic, old-fashioned, primeval, primordial, timeworn

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Antonyms: modern
Contrasted words: current, fresh, new, novel, prevailing, up-to-date
Related Idioms: old as time, older than God (or the hills), out of the dim past, old as Methuselah (or the hills)
Related Words: primal, primeval, primordial, pristine, forgotten, immemorial, remote, traditional, ageless, dateless, doddering, doting, fading, sinking, waning, wasting

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English Thesaurus: old, elderly, aging, aged, elder brother/sister, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. an‧cient¹ W2 /ˈeɪnʃənt/ adjective
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus, from Latin ante 'before']

1. belonging to a time long ago in history, especially thousands of years ago Antonym : modern:
the ancient civilizations of Asia
ancient Greece/Egypt/Rome
the religion of ancient Egypt

2. having existed for a very long time Antonym : new:
an ancient walled city
an ancient forest
the ancient art of calligraphy

3. very old – used humorously:
That photo makes me look ancient!

4. ancient history
a) the history of ancient societies, such as Greece or Rome:
a professor of ancient history
b) informal if you say that something is ancient history, you mean that it happened a long time ago and is not important now:
It’s all ancient history and I’m not upset any more.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. ancient² noun
the ancients [plural] people who lived long ago, especially the Greeks and Romans:
The ancients believed that the Sun and Moon were planets.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ancient
adj.
VERBS be, look
ADV. extremely, incredibly, very | quite | positively The man looked positively ancient.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

old having lived for a long time:
an old man
I’m too old to learn a new language.
elderly a polite word for old:
an elderly lady
a home for the elderly (=elderly people)
If you are elderly, you may be eligible for financial assistance.
aging (also ageing British English) [only before noun] becoming old:
an ageing rock star
the problems of an ageing population
aged /ˈeɪdʒəd, ˈeɪdʒɪd/ [only before noun] written aged relatives are very old:
aged parents
She had to look after her aged aunt.
elder brother/sister especially British English [only before noun] an older brother or sister. Elder sounds more formal than older:
I have two elder brothers.
ancient [not usually before noun] informal very old – used humorously:
I’ll be 30 next year – it sounds really ancient!
be getting on (in years) informal to be fairly old:
He’s 60 now, so he’s getting on a bit.
be over the hill (also be past it British English) informal to be too old to do something:
Everyone thinks you’re past it when you get to 40.
geriatric [only before noun] relating to medical care and treatment for old people:
a geriatric hospital
geriatric patients
antique antique furniture, clocks, jewellery etc are old and often valuable:
an antique writing desk
age-old used about traditions, problems, or situations that have existed for a very long time:
the age-old tradition of morris dancing
the age-old prejudice against women in positions of power
the age-old problem of nationalism
age-old hatreds between religious groups

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

old:
an old car
an old Chinese saying
ancient very old – used about things that existed thousands of years ago, or things that look very old:
ancient civilisations
an ancient Rolls Royce
antique antique furniture, clocks, jewellery etc are old and often valuable:
an antique writing desk
age-old used about traditions, problems, or situations that have existed for a very long time:
the age-old tradition of morris dancing
the age-old prejudice against women in positions of power
the age-old problem of nationalism
age-old hatreds between religious groups

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲