RELIC Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

relic

noun

ˈre-lik

Definition of relic

as in artifact

a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished a crude stone ax and other relics of the Neanderthals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in antique

something belonging to or surviving from an earlier period in my grandparents' attic are many "groovy" relics from the 1960s

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in dinosaur

one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity his courtly manners marked him as a relic of a more refined and formal era

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in remains

relics plural a dead body though it is believed that missionary died in New Guinea, his relics have never been found

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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 relic That kind of grace across ideological lines feels like a relic of a more democratic era. — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026 In Freeport, Allen has built the Bahamas Maritime Museum, where relics are cataloged, conserved, and displayed, creating local jobs and drawing tourists. — Brett Berk, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2026 Those old Albanian passports were relics of Communism, built to last. — Ledio Cakaj, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 These days, for most regions across the world, polio is a relic of another era. — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic

Noun

Reputation systems also struggle when an artifact is new, short-lived or slightly different from anything seen before.

— Ken Ammon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
The artifact's stop at West Point comes nearly 25 years after the attacks sent a generation of American service members to Afghanistan, Iraq and other theaters during the war on terror.

— Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of artifact

Noun

Scott Antique Markets As the world’s largest monthly indoor antique and interiors show, the Scott Antique Markets is a site to behold.

— Lesly Gregory, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
For the property, owner Jo Ellard selected 400 paintings, collages, photos, and sculptures sourced from antiques sales, Art Basel shows around the world, and her own private collection.

— Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of antique

Noun

And Vernal itself was fun, with big fibreglass dinosaurs in front of half of its cafés, petrol stations and hotels, including our own, the Dinosaur Inn & Suites.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 30 Aug. 2026
This short film, created by Little Nemo cartoonist Winsor McCay, is one of the very best dinosaur movies, a groundbreaking work of animation and one of the first examples of incorporating the medium into live-action.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dinosaur

Noun

Ascherson’s own writing, in fact, contains a trace of Staatsduft—a certain whiff of an era when Europe had a very different place in the world.

— Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Investors who have backed companies through full capital market cycles know that and look for traces of that evolution.

— Albana Vrioni, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of trace

Noun

Brett Goldstein’s seething has-been, Roy Kent, has replaced Ted as the men’s coach; Beard (co-creator Brendan Hunt) stuck around to assist Roy but has gone feral in the absence of his professional soulmate.

— Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
In the Seventies, he was mocked as a Vegas has-been in a jumpsuit; in the Eighties, as a cultural colonizer.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026

Definition of has-been

Noun

Broken pieces of a golden temple were seen jutting out from the sand, while the carcass of a dead buffalo littered the area.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
One of dogs was fatally shot by a Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputy, and its carcass will be submitted for a necropsy and rabies testing, officials said.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of carcass

Noun

Dolly's remnants also bringing rain Elsewhere, the hurricane center is keeping an eye on whether the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly could develop again.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Dolly’s remnants are now just a surface trough of low pressure producing a disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms stretching from over portions of Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas.

— Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of remnant

Browse Nearby Words

reliant

relic

relics

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Style

“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of relic

noun

Example Sentences

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