List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 270

SYNONYMS: old, ancient, archaic, obsolete, antique, antiquated.
These adjectives describe what belongs to or dates from an earlier time or period.

Old is the most general term: old lace; an old saying; old colleagues; an old Dutch painting.
Ancient pertains to the distant past: The hills are as ancient as the sun.
Archaic implies a very remote, often primitive period: an archaic Greek bronze of the seventh century B.C. He was convicted under an archaic statute.
Obsolete indicates the fact of having fallen into disuse: an obsolete custom; obsolete methods of research.
Antique is applied both to what is very old and to what is especially appreciated or valued because of its age: a hat of antique shape. She collects antique vases.
Antiquated describes what is out of date, no longer fashionable, or discredited: No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern. No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated.