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Definition of classic adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

classic

adjective
 
/ˈklæsɪk/
 
/ˈklæsɪk/
[usually before noun]
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  1. accepted or deserving to be accepted as one of the best or most important of its kind
    • a classic film/story/game
    • I grew up listening to classic rock.
    • a classic novel/study/goal
    • This classic novel was first published in 1938.
  2. (also less frequent classical)
    with all the features you would expect to find; very typical
    • a classic example of poor communication
    • This was a classic case of what not to do.
    • She displayed the classic symptoms of depression.
    • I made the classic mistake of clapping in a pause in the music!
  3. attractive, but simple and traditional in style or design; not affected by changes in fashion
    • a classic grey suit
    • classic design
    • a classic look
    Which Word? classic / classicalclassic / classicalThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:
    classic ~classical ~
    examplemusic
    caseballet
    novelarchitecture
    workscholar
    carperiod
    • 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 attractive 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.
    Extra Examples
    • She was wearing a classic little black dress.
    • The shop specializes in classic English style.
  4. (informal) people say That’s classic! when they find something very funny, 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!
  5. 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’.
See classic in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee classic in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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