Word.ws English Dictionary

classic

/ˈklæsɪk/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

British/ˈklasɪk/

classic adjective: of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.

Adjective

classic (comparative more classic, superlative most classic)

  1. Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
    • During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…]1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond
    • Give, as thy last memorial to the age, / One classic drama, and reform the stage.1809, Lord Byron, English Bards, and Scotch Reviewers
  2. Exemplary of a particular style; defining a class or category; typical; archetypical; epitomic.
    • He has a classic case of narcissism.
    • The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249
  3. Exhibiting timeless quality and excellence.
    • "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a 1960 classic book by Harper Lee.
  4. Characteristic of or from the past; old; retro; vintage.
    • watching classic movies as a hobby
  5. Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, especially to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced; of or pertaining to places inhabited by the ancient Greeks and Romans, or rendered famous by their deeds.
    • Though throned midst Latium's classic plains.1819, Felicia Hemans, The Widow of Crescentius
  6. Traditional; original.
    • Users who dislike the new visual layout can return to classic mode.
    • Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported […] that pine siskins (Spinus pinus) undergo an irregular, nomadic type of nocturnal migration.2013 January 1, Paul Bartel, Ashli Moore, “Avian Migration: The Ultimate Red-Eye Flight”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, pages 47–48
  7. (informal) Humorously ironic or apposite.
    • It was classic—the way she slipped on a banana peel while she was telling us all to be careful!

Noun

classic (plural classics)

  1. A perfect and/or early example of a particular style.
  2. An artistic work of lasting worth, such as a film or song; a work of enduring excellence.
    • JAMES CARTER: The man's destroying a classic!2001, Jeff Nathanson, Rush Hour 2, New Line Cinema
  3. The author of such a work.
    • It was the first work to which he had put his name; and it at once raised him to the rank of a legitimate English classic.1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “[Contributions to the Encyclopædia Britannica.] Oliver Goldsmith.”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord...
  4. A major, long-standing sporting event.
    1. Any of the British Classic Races, five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season.
      • The goal of the top horses was to win a Classic (or preferably three, thus claiming the Triple Crown) or the Ascot Gold Cup, […]2012, Dr Joyce Kay, Professor Wray Vamplew, Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing, page 316
  5. (dated) One learned in the literature of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome; a student of classical literature.

classic meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

classic in Hindi

क्लासिक

classic in Tamil

கலைசார், தலைமைசால், பண்டை இலக்கியம், புகழ் சான்ற, மேம்பாடுடைய, செம்மையான

classic in Marathi

अभिजात, क्लासिक

classic in Urdu

اعلیٰ درجے کا
More languagesFewer languages
classic in Bengali
উচ্চশ্রেণীর রচনা, বড় লেখক, বড় শিল্প, সাহিত্যাদির ছাত্র
classic in Telugu
క్లాసిక్
classic in Malayalam
ഏറ്റവും വിശിഷ്ടമായ, മഹാസാഹിത്യം
classic in Kannada
ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ, ಅತಿಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠವಾದುದು, ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠಗ್ರಂಥ ಯಾ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠಕಲಾವಸ್ತು, ಪುರಾತನ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ
classic in Punjabi
ਕਲਾਸਿਕ
classic in Gujarati
ક્લાસિક, ક્લાસીક
classic in Odia
କ୍ଲାସିକ୍, କ୍ଲାସିକ
classic in Nepali
क्लासिक
classic in Vietnamese
kinh điển, cổ điển

Examples of classic in a sentence

  • Swollen breasts, morning sickness, and a missed period are classic symptoms of pregnancy.
  • Live with aversion to classic men's wear, likely die with aversion to classic men's wear.
  • The author decided to retell the classic fairy tale with a modern twist.

All 40 example sentences with classic

Synonyms of classic

Forms of classic

Adjective
comparativemore classic
superlativemost classic
alternative form (obsolete)classick
Noun
pluralclassics

Plural of classic: classics

Origin of classic

From French classique, from Latin classic(us) (“relating to the classes of Roman citizenry, especially the highest”), from classis. By surface analysis, class + -ic. Piecewise doublet of classy.

Words formed from classic

Phrases with classic

Words that rhyme with classic

Questions about classic

What does classic mean?
Classic means of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
What is classic in Hindi?
Classic in Hindi is क्लासिक. See Classic meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is classic?
Classic can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce classic?
Classic is pronounced /ˈklæsɪk/ (UK).

Words near classic in the dictionary

  1. classfuls
  2. classgoer
  3. classgoers
  4. classhood
  5. classible
  6. classic
  7. classic autism
  8. classic car
  9. classic cars
  10. classic female blues
  11. classic hit

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: classic (page history and authors); classic (Hindi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); classic (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); classic (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); classic (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); classic (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); classic (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); classic (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); classic (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); classic (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); classic (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); classic (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); classic (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-classic.wav.

Cite this entry: “classic.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/classic. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.