antic

[ an-tik ]
See synonyms for: anticantics on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Usually antics.

    • a playful trick or prank; caper.

    • a grotesque, fantastic, or ludicrous gesture, act, or posture.

  2. Archaic.

    • an actor in a grotesque or ridiculous presentation.

    • a buffoon; clown.

  1. Obsolete.

    • a grotesque theatrical presentation; ridiculous interlude.

    • a grotesque or fantastic sculptured figure, as a gargoyle.

adjective
  1. ludicrous; funny.

  2. fantastic; odd; grotesque: an antic disposition.

verb (used without object),an·ticked, an·tick·ing.
  1. Obsolete. to perform antics; caper.

Origin of antic

1
1520–30; earlier antike,antique<Italian antico ancient (<Latin antīcus, antīquus;see antique), apparently taken to mean “grotesque,” as used in descriptions of fantastic figures found in Roman ruins

Other words from antic

  • an·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with antic

Words Nearby antic

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How to use antic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for antic

antic

/ (ˈæntɪk) /


noun
  1. archaic an actor in a ludicrous or grotesque part; clown; buffoon

adjective
  1. archaic fantastic; grotesque

Origin of antic

1
C16: from Italian antico something ancient, or grotesque (from its application to fantastic carvings found in ruins of ancient Rome); see antique

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012