ARCHAISM Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

archaism

noun

Definition of archaism

as in throwback

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of archaism That phrase, which may strike some young American ears as an archaism if not an oxymoron, is worth unpacking, and Amis provides readers with a pocket account of the historical preconditions of his extravagant fame. — A.o. Scott, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2018 For the Latin American left, that vision has congealed into archaism. — The Economist, 12 Oct. 2017 But the main challenge for any translator is to remain true to Virgil without wrenching him into archaism or stiffness. — Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 22 Sep. 2017 Full of archaisms, the language has a neo-Nabokovian extravagance, occasionally overindulgent. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for archaism

Noun

At best, this umpteenth entry in the Statham cannon feels like a throwback to a time when all that was needed to get butts in seats was plenty of butt-kicking on screen.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
The lineup was packed with beloved hip-hop and R&B throwback artists like Too $hort, Ginuwine, Ashanti, Warren G and E-40.

— Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of throwback

Noun

Dreaming is every bit the delicious anachronism of its predecessors.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026
Greek culinary historian Mariana Kavroulaki pointed out that rather than making stews, characters in The Odyssey were mostly spit-roasting their proteins, though that’s something of an anachronism in the text.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026

Definition of anachronism

Noun

The details in the case closely resemble charges that have been made against the children of German art dealer Serop Simonian, the eighty-three-year-old alleged leader of a trafficking ring specializing in Egyptian antiquities.

— News Desk, Artforum, 26 Aug. 2026
The same circle of dealers also sold artworks to the Metropolitan Museum, where the New York District Attorney’s Office seized five antiquities valued collectively at more than $3 million in 2022; those included a gold sarcophagus.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of antiquity

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archaic

archaism

archaisms

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“Archaism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archaism. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of archaism

noun

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