What does "ancient" mean?
A person who is very old.
Ancient
/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who is very old.
- Grammar: ancient is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abiding, aboriginal, aborigine, advanced.
- Useful contrasts: modern, coeval artist, contemporary.
- Usage evidence: We discovered relics of an ancient civilization.
How to use "ancient"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ancient" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ancient" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ancient" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ancient" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ancient" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abiding" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ancient", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who is very old.
"Hetty and Mrs. Piper watched them with a lynx-eyed understanding and before the ancient was well upon his road his way was blocked by Hetty."
- 2 A flag, banner, standard or ensign. archaic
"[D]iſcarded, vniuſt ſeruingmen, yonger ſonnes to yonger brothers, reuolted tapſters, and Oſtlers, tradefalne, the cankers of a calme world, and a long peace, ten times more diſhonourable ragged then an olde fazd ancient, […]"
- 3 a person who lived in ancient times wordnet
- 4 A person who lived in ancient times.
"What is ancient for us was in its own time a reworking of what was ancient for the ancients."
- 5 The bearer of a flag; ensign. obsolete, rare
"I preſt mee none but such toſtes and butter with hearts in their bellies no bigger then pianes heades, and they haue bought out their ſeruices, and now my whole charge conſiſts of Ancients, Corporals, Lieutenants, gentlemen of companies: ſlaues as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the gluttons dogs licked his ſores, and ſuch as indeed were neuer ſouldiours, […]"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a very old person wordnet
- 7 One of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery. UK
- 8 A senior; an elder; a predecessor. obsolete
"Junius and Andronicus […] in Christianity […] were his ancients."
Adjective
- 1 Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.
"an ancient city"
- 2 Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.
"an ancient author"
- 3 Relating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period; the time before the Middle Ages.
- 4 Experienced; versed. obsolete
"approved by the consent of the moste ancient doctors of the Churche [part of the book title]"
- 5 Former; sometime. obsolete
"They mourned their ancient leader lost."
Adjective
- 1 very old wordnet
- 2 belonging to times long past especially of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"We discovered relics of an ancient civilization."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ancient"?
Common synonyms include: abiding, aboriginal, aborigine, advanced, advanced in life, advanced in years.
How do you use "ancient" in a sentence?
We discovered relics of an ancient civilization.
How do you pronounce "ancient"?
Pronounced /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English auncyen, from Old French ancien, from Vulgar Latin *anteānus, composed of Latin ante (“before”) + -ānus (adjective-forming suffix). The non-etymological /t/ is by analogy with the common ending -ent.
Etymology 2
Corruption of ensign.