antiguo
/anˈtiɡwo/
The Spanish word for ancient is antiguo.
antiguo is used to describe something that is existent or occurring in time long past. The meaning of the word changes depending on where you place it in a sentence: when placed before a noun, it often emphasizes the 'former' status of a person or thing, whereas placing it after the noun emphasizes an 'ancient' or 'old' quality.
Meaning: existent or occurring in time long past (adj)
Which one should you use?
While antiguo covers both 'ancient' and 'former' depending on word order, other words can be more specific. You might use milenario or milenaria to specifically mean something is a thousand-year-old or millennia-old, or vetusto or vetusta to describe something that is extremely old or ancient-looking.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, antiguo must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use antigua for feminine nouns, antiguos for masculine plural nouns and antiguas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/anˈtiɡwo/
Did you know?
- The modern spelling antiguo was likely influenced by its own feminine form antigua, replacing the earlier Old Spanish form antigo.
- In Spanish, describing a person as antiguo can be an insult implying they are obsolete or out of touch, rather than just being old.
- In some contexts, switching from antiguo to its synonym viejo changes the tone from describing a historical era to describing simple age.
Examples in context
- Roma tiene muchos edificios antiguos.Rome has a lot of ancient buildings.This sentence demonstrates the use of antiguo to describe buildings.Tatoeba #1292077 by hayastan, translation #29422 by CK
- A mi me gusta aprender el lenguaje antiguo.I like to learn the ancient language.This sentence shows how to use antiguo when referring to a language.Tatoeba #5002211 by marara, translation #5033408 by scheherezhad
- En hebreo antiguo, עַל y אַל no eran homófonos.In ancient Hebrew, עַל and אַל were not homophones.This sentence uses antiguo in the context of an ancient language.Tatoeba #10091083 by manufrutos, translation #10074198 by shekitten
- La ciudad antigua está llena de historia impresionante.The ancient city is full of impressive history.
- Esta iglesia milenaria es un tesoro cultural.This thousand-year-old church is a cultural treasure.
- Estos fósiles son de un animal prehistórico.These fossils are from a prehistoric animal.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking at old books in a museum.
- LucíaMira este libro antiguo, Mateo.Look at this ancient book, Mateo.
- MateoEs increíble lo viejo que es.It is incredible how old it is.
- LucíaParece un tesoro de un tiempo antiguo.It looks like a treasure from an ancient time.
- MateoTienes razón, Lucía, es una joya.You are right, Lucía, it is a gem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ancient” translations and entries antiguo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries antiguo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
