Classical

Quick meaning: Classical is an adjective meaning Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.

Meaning

Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.

More Meanings

1. Of or pertaining to established principles in a discipline.
2. (music) Describing Western music and musicians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
3. (informal, music) Describing art music (rather than pop, jazz, blues, etc), especially when played using instruments of the orchestra.
4. Knowledgeable or skilled in the classics; versed in the classics.
5. Conforming to the best authority in literature and art; chaste; pure; refined
6. (physics) Pertaining to models of physical laws that do not take quantum or relativistic effects into account; Newtonian or Maxwellian.
7. 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.

Example Sentences

classical dance

a classical scholar

... Mr. Greaves, who may be juſtly reckoned a Claſſical Author on this Subject.

He [Atterbury] directed the classical studies of the undergraduates of his college.

Word Forms

• classicals

Synonyms for classical

Depending on context, synonyms include classic, traditional, conventional, canonical, ancient, Roman.

Antonyms for classical

Common opposites include modern, experimental, popular, contemporary, quantum, relativistic.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include classic, neoclassic, neoclassical, standard, authoritative, definitive.

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