What does "attic" mean?
The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
Attic
/ˈætɪk/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
- Grammar: attic is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: garret, loft, aesthetic, ancient greek dialect.
- Useful contrasts: basement, basements, boeotian.
- Usage evidence: He says he must get rid of the mice that are in the attic.
How to use "attic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "attic" 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 "attic" 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 "attic" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "attic" 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 "attic" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang 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 "garret" 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 "attic", 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 The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or habitation.
"We went up to the attic to look for the boxes containing our childhood keepsakes."
- 2 (architecture) a low wall at the top of the entablature; hides the roof wordnet
- 3 A person's head or brain. slang
"[…] was a diminutive, forked-radish sort of a young man, very fashionably attired, or, as he would say, kiddily togg'd; and, though it was scarcely noon, he was rather queer in the attic; that is to say, not exactly sober."
- 4 floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage wordnet
- 5 informal terms for a human head wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken and written in Attica and Athens and Ionia wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of or related to Attica, ancient Athens and its hinterland; Synonym of Athenian, of or related to the culture of ancient Athens. historical
- 2 Of or related to Attica, ancient Athens and its hinterland; Of or related to ancient Athenian architecture. historical
- 3 Of or related to Attica, ancient Athens and its hinterland; Of or related to Attic Greek. historical
- 4 Marked by the qualities traditionally considered characteristic of the ancient Athenians: classical, refined. figuratively
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to Attica or its inhabitants or to the dialect spoken in Athens in classical times wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Clipping of Attic Greek, the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken in Attica, Euboea, and the northern coast of the Aegean Sea. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
Example
"He says he must get rid of the mice that are in the attic."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "attic"?
Common synonyms include: garret, loft, aesthetic, ancient greek dialect, archives, armory.
How do you use "attic" in a sentence?
He says he must get rid of the mice that are in the attic.
How do you pronounce "attic"?
Pronounced /ˈætɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From the practice of decorating the top storey of building facades in the Attic architectural style. From French attique, from Latin atticus, from Ancient Greek Ἀττικός (Attikós).
Etymology 2
From Latin Atticus, from Ancient Greek Ἀττικός (Attikós), from some Pre-Greek demonym or toponym for Athens and its hinterland of Attica + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic: forming adjectives”). Equivalent to a modified and clipped Athens + -ic. Doublet of Atticus.