What does "antique" mean?

1. (a valuable old object) an object, such as a piece of furniture or jewelry, that is old and often valuable. 2. (an old person) a funny or slightly mean way to describe a person who is very old. 3. (made long ago) made in an earlier period and not modern. 4. (to make something look old) to treat an object so that it looks like it is an antique.

How do you use "antique"?

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

antique

n. · adj. · v.

US //ænˈtik// UK //æntˈiːk// an·tique

1 a valuable old object (n.)
B1 Intermediate

an object, such as a piece of furniture or jewelry, that is old and often valuable.

a collectible object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has high value because of its considerable age.

Example

The shop in the village sells beautiful antiques from the nineteenth century.

Example

The family decided to auction off several valuable antiques, including a mahogany writing desk that had been passed down through four generations.
- modernity
- novelty
2 an old person (n.)
C1 Advanced Humorous Informal

a funny or slightly mean way to describe a person who is very old.

a person of advanced age. Used figuratively and often with a mildly derogatory or humorous intent.

Example

My grandfather calls himself an antique because he can't understand how to use a smartphone.

Example

The veteran professor joked that he was a bit of an antique compared to the fresh-faced doctoral students in his seminar.
- elder
- senior
- youth

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3 made long ago (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

made in an earlier period and not modern.

belonging to a former era; specifically relating to ancient times or simply being of a style from the past.

Example

She loves wearing antique lace dresses that she finds in second-hand shops.

Example

The hotel lobby was decorated with antique mirrors and heavy velvet curtains to create an atmosphere of old-world elegance.
4 to make something look old (v.)
C2 Proficiency Technical

to treat an object so that it looks like it is an antique.

to treat the surface of an object, such as furniture, to give it the appearance of being an antique.

Example

He used a special dark paint to antique the new picture frame.

Example

The artisan spent hours carefully antiquing the cabinet doors to match the original woodwork of the seventeenth-century manor.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
- distress
- age
- restore
- refurbish

Origin

Borrowed from French antique (“ancient, old”), from Latin antiquus (“former, earlier, ancient, old”), from ante (“before”); see ante-. Doublet of antic.