antiquity
noun
an·tiq·ui·ty
an-ˈti-kwə-tē 
plural antiquities
1
: ancient times
especially
: those before the Middle Ages
a town that dates from antiquity
2
: the quality of being ancient
a castle of great antiquity
3
antiquities plural
a
: relics or monuments (such as coins, statues, or buildings) of ancient times
a museum of Greek antiquities
b
: matters relating to the life or culture of ancient times
the study of Germanic antiquities
4
: the people of ancient times
records left by antiquity
Examples of antiquity in a Sentence
The town dates from antiquity.
A palace stood here in antiquity.
a museum of Roman antiquities
Recent Examples on the Web
Last year, the NCMM received 113 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands—the largest single return of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British looting, according to the commission.
—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
29 June 2026
The Khmer Rouge lost power in 1979, but fighting and instability continued for decades, leaving Cambodia's temples unprotected and vulnerable… easy targets for unscrupulous antiquities dealers like Douglas Latchford.
—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
And so the Pioneer Saloon thrives as an antiquity with a pulse — and by serving up quarter-pound Poltergeist Burgers (the place is ostensibly haunted, see).
—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2026
The collection is the only large-scale library known to have survived from classical antiquity.
—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for antiquity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
29 June 2026
The Khmer Rouge lost power in 1979, but fighting and instability continued for decades, leaving Cambodia's temples unprotected and vulnerable… easy targets for unscrupulous antiquities dealers like Douglas Latchford.
—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
28 June 2026
And so the Pioneer Saloon thrives as an antiquity with a pulse — and by serving up quarter-pound Poltergeist Burgers (the place is ostensibly haunted, see).
—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2026
The collection is the only large-scale library known to have survived from classical antiquity.
—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for antiquity
Cite this Entry
“Antiquity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antiquity. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
antiquity
noun
an·tiq·ui·ty
an-ˈtik-wət-ē
plural antiquities
1
: ancient times
especially
: those before the Middle Ages
2
: very great age
3
plural
: objects or monuments from ancient times
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