ancientadjective
uk/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/us/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/B1 of or from a long time ago, having lasted for a very long time:
ancient civilizations/rights/laws
ancient monuments/ruins/woodlands
the ancient kingdoms of Mexico
People have lived in this valley since ancient times.
History, ancient and modern, has taught these people an intense distrust of their neighbours.
informal very old:
He's got an ancient laptop.
B1 used to refer to the period in European history from the earliest known societies to the end of the Roman Empire:
the ancient Egyptians/Greeks/Romans
The ancient Britons inhabited these parts of England before the Roman invasion.
More examples
- The ancient people of this area worshipped a huge bronze idol in the shape of an elephant.
- In ancient Rome, captured generals were paraded through the streets in chairs.
- As a consequence of expansionism by some European countries, many ancient cultures have suffered.
- Mr Graham was amazed to find 46 ancient gold coins inside the pot.
- The ancient skull of Peking Man has been pieced together from fragments.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Lasting for a long time
- all-night
- be going strong idiom
- changeless
- deep
- die hard idiom
- drawn-out
- epic
- languish
- lasting
- lengthy
- lingering
- long-drawn-out
- marathon
- never-ending
- of old idiom
- old
- ongoing
- overlong
- strong
- sustainable
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Old or old-fashioned
Ancient history: before 500 AD