Ancient

UK: /ˈeɪnʃənt/ US: /ˈeɪnʃənt/ ,(ān′shənt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

an•cient¹ /ˈeɪnʃənt/   adj. 

1. Ancient History of, dating from, or in a time long past, esp. before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476:
   ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt.
2. very old;
   aged:
   an ancient wise man.

n. [countable]

3. the ancients, the civilized people of a long time ago, esp. the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians:
   the writings and culture of the ancients.
4. a very old person.

an•cient•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

an•cient¹  (ān′shənt), adj. 

1. Ancient History of or in time long past, esp. before the end of the Western Roman Empire a.d. 476:
   ancient history.
2. dating from a remote period;
   of great age:
   ancient rocks; ancient trees.
3. very old;
   aged:
   an ancient folk tale.
4. being old in wisdom and experience;
   venerable.
5. old-fashioned or antique.

n. 

6. a person who lived in ancient times.
7. one of the classical writers of antiquity.
8. a very old or aged person, esp. if venerable or patriarchal.
9. ancients:
   • the civilized peoples, nations, or cultures of antiquity, as the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians (usually prec. by the).
   • the writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient times, esp. those of Greece and Rome.

• Vulgar Latin *antiānus, equivalent. to Latin ante(ā) before (see ante-) + -ānus -an; late Middle English forms with -t- developed by confusion with the present participle ending -nt (see -ent)
• Anglo-French; Old French ancien
• Middle English auncien 1300–50

an′cient•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 2, 3. Ancient, antiquated, antique, old-
  fashioned refer to something dating from the past.
  Ancient implies existence or first occurrence in a distant past:
  an ancient custom.
  Antiquated connotes something too old or no longer useful:
  an antiquated building.
  Antique suggests a curious or pleasing quality in something old:
  antique furniture.
  Old-
  fashioned may disparage something as being out of date or may approve something old as being superior:
  an old-fashioned hat; old-fashioned courtesy.

Antonyms

• 2, 3. new, modern.

an•cient²  (ān′shənt), n. [Obs.]

1. the bearer of a flag.
2. a flag, banner, or standard;
   ensign.

• variant of ensign by confusion with ancient¹ 1545–55

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ancient / ˈeɪnʃənt/ adjective

1. dating from very long ago: ancient ruins
2. very old; aged
3. of the far past, esp before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (476 ad)
   Compare medieval, modern

noun

1. (often plural) a member of a civilized nation in the ancient world, esp a Greek, Roman, or Hebrew
2. (often plural) one of the classical authors of Greek or Roman antiquity
3. an old man

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin anteanus (unattested), from Latin ante before

ˈancientness noun