classic means of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. It carries an Arena rating of 1643, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, classic ranks #1,212 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,064 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,102 of 14,448 for Funniest Words.
classic is pronounced /ˈklæsɪk/.
Why “classic” is a great word
Of the highest rank, especially in literature or art, and serving as a standard of enduring excellence. From French classique, from Latin classicus ("relating to the classes of Roman citizenry, especially the highest"), from classis ("fleet, army, class of citizens"). Unlike "classical," which confines itself to the temples of antiquity or the strictures of a formal tradition, or "archetypal," which points to a primal, generative origin, "classic" denotes an achievement that has settled, through consensus and time, into a permanent authority. It is the patina on a well-loved novel's spine, the elegant, unforced solution to an ancient problem, and the quiet, unfading style that outlasts a decade of fashions—a testament to the rare quality of seeming, in retrospect, to have always been inevitable.
Etymology
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.
adj
- 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[…]”
- Exemplary of a particular style; defining a class or category; typical; archetypical; epitomic.“He has a classic case of narcissism.”
- Exhibiting timeless quality and excellence.“"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a 1960 classic book by Harper Lee.”
- Characteristic of or from the past; old; retro; vintage.“watching classic movies as a hobby”
- 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.“1819, Felicia Hemans, The Widow of Crescentius
Though throned midst Latium's classic plains.”
- Traditional; original.“Users who dislike the new visual layout can return to classic mode.”
- Extremely, and usually comically, apropos.“It was classic - the way she slipped on a banana peel while she was telling us all to be careful!”
noun
- A perfect and/or early example of a particular style.
- 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!”
- 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.”
- A major, long-standing sporting event.
- A major, long-standing sporting event.; 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, […]”
- One learned in the literature of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome; a student of classical literature.
Words closest in meaning
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