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

In the state title game, Large took a handoff from the throwback Wing-T offense for a touchdown.

— Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
The titular protagonist of Isador Machete Cortez enjoys a bizarre history, originating in the first Spy Kids movie before taking center stage in a faux trailer created for Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s exploitation throwback, Grindhouse.

— Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 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

Meanwhile, an electric color palette of zingy greens, bold reds, and Prussian blues–touched off with plenty of black accents–amplifies the property’s wildly original juxtaposition of antiquity and modernity.

— Alexandra Kirkman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
But the recording itself — which happened in eerie circumstances and nearly destroyed one of the trumpets — also underlines how our handling of antiquities has evolved dramatically in the intervening decades.

— Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of antiquity

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“Archaism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/archaism. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of archaism

noun

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