classic

/ˈklæsɪk/

/ˈklæsɪk/

Other forms: classics

The noun classic describes something that's very high quality, particularly if it has lasting value. The pristine Model T Ford that you keep in your garage is a classic, but the beat-up old clunker you drive every day is not.

You can also use the adjective classic to describe something that relates to ancient Greece or Rome. You can enjoy the classic Greek-style columns on the outside of your house but still appreciate the modern plumbing on the inside of it. Classic also means excellent, of recognized authority, or definitive. Classic literature, for example, includes that written by authors like Mark Twain and Jane Austen.

Definitions of classic

1. adjective

   of recognized authority or excellence
   synonyms: authoritative, classical, definitive

   standard

   established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence
2. noun

   a creation of the highest excellence
   type of:

   creation

   an artifact that has been brought into existence by someone
3. noun

   an artist who has created classic works
   type of:

   artist, creative person

   a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
4. adjective

   of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture
   synonyms: classical

   Graeco-Roman, Greco-Roman, Hellenic, classical

   of or pertaining to or characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures

   neoclassic, neoclassical

   characteristic of a revival of an earlier classical style
5. adjective

   of or pertaining to or characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures
   synonyms: Graeco-Roman, Greco-Roman, Hellenic, classical

   classical

   of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture