- 1 accepted or deserving to be accepted as one of the best or most important of its kind a classic novel/study/goal Wordfinderwriteauthor, book, classic, critic, drama, fiction, genre, literature, poetry, write
- 2 (also classical) with all the features you would expect to find; very typical a classic example of poor communication She displayed the classic symptoms of depression. I made the classic mistake of clapping in a pause in the music!
- 3 elegant, but simple and traditional in style or design; not affected by changes in fashion a classic grey suit classic design classic cars (= cars which are no longer made, but which are still popular) Which Word?classic / classicalThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns: classic example/case/novel/work/car classical music/ballet/architecture/scholar/period Classic describes something that is accepted as being of very high quality and one of the best of its kind:a classic movie/work. It is also used to describe a typical example of something:a classic example/mistake, or something elegant but simple and traditional:classic design. Classical describes a form of traditional Western music and other things that are traditional in style:a classical composer a classical theory. It is also used to talk about things that are connected with the culture of Ancient Greece and Rome:a classical scholar classical mythology.
- 4(informal) people say That’s classic! when they find something very amusing, when they think somebody has been very stupid or when something annoying, but not surprising, happens She's not going to help? Oh, that's classic! Word Originearly 17th cent.: from French classique or Latin classicus ‘belonging to a class or division’, later ‘of the highest class’, from classis ‘a division of the Roman people, a grade, or a class of pupils’.Extra examples It was a classic example of poor communication. She was wearing a classic little black dress. The shop specializes in classic English style. This classic novel was first published in 1938.
Check pronunciation: classic
