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relic

relic

97 5.3
A thing from the past kept because it is important or valuable
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛlɪk/
: reliquia
  • Her father's antique English desk became the battered, shabby relic she'd worked at for nearly five years.
  • relic of the past
  • precious relics
  • sacred relics

And it's very important that you not treat it as a relic to be revered.

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Examples

  • Ahead is the fairy castle, broken and crumbling, like some relic from a nightmare.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Thank God, there's still some power left in this relic.

  • It's cool to have this relic that is still so good today.

  • Now it's just this old relic.

  • It's beautiful, it's cool, it's fun to drive, and it was an amazing relic from its time period that is still beloved today.

  • The doors would actually open so that the faithful could actually see the relic inside and each of them is decorated.

  • We don't really know what this relic can do.

  • Valek is looking for an ancient relic.

  • Paintings, relics, worth millions.

  • The museum displayed a relic from the ancient civilization that was over 2,000 years old.

Synonyms

artifact
vsrelic
  • US
232 4.2

An object made by people that shows a past culture

is an older kept object chosen for its past importance or sentimental value
antique
vsrelic
113 5.6

An object made long ago and valued for its age or beauty

is kept for past importance or feeling rather than only for age or beauty
memorabilia
vsrelic
51 6.4

Things kept to remind you of famous people or events

is kept for past importance or cultural value, not only for links to fame
memento
vsrelic
43 6.0

An object kept to remind you of a person or event

is kept for lasting past significance rather than only as a personal souvenir
heirloom
vsrelic
42 7.0

A valuable object kept in a family and given from parents to children for many generations

is kept for past importance more broadly, not only as inherited property
collectible
vsrelic
34 4.1

A thing people collect because it is interesting or valuable, like cards

is an older kept object prized for past importance rather than mere collectability
keepsake
vsrelic
24 3.9

An object kept to remind you of a person, place, or event

is kept for past importance more broadly, not just for private sentiment
family heirloom
vsrelic
22 4.7

An object of value passed down in a family from parents to children

is a general past object kept for importance beyond being inherited
token
vsrelic
13 3.4

A small object kept to remember a person or event

is preserved for broader historical or cultural value beyond personal reminder
12 5.4

An object that people want to keep because it is rare and valuable

is kept for past importance or sentimental value rather than trader interest
2 7.2

An object, custom, or idea from long ago that seems out of date

is kept because it is important or valued, not just an outdated remnant
precious item
vsrelic
2 3.0

Something people keep safe because it is worth money or has special meaning

is specifically an old object kept for its past significance rather than only value
1 9.1

An old object that reminds people of an earlier time

is kept for importance or sentimental reasons rather than merely being an old remnant

Compounds

An object, custom, or idea from long ago that seems out of date

An old object that reminds people of an earlier time

How Old

antique
113 5.2
relic
97 5.3
artifact
  • US
232 4.2

Surface Forms

relic singular
relics plural

Etymology

Relic comes from the Latin word reliquiae, which means 'things left behind', and from the verb relinquere meaning 'to leave behind'. So a relic is an object from the past that people keep because it remains as a memory or has value.