Ancient history Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈeɪnʃənt/, /ˈeɪntʃənt/ /ˈhɪstɝi/, /ˈhɪstɹi

AYN-shent HISS-tur-ee

UK

ˈeɪnʃənt/ /hˈɪstəɹˌi

AYN-shent HISS-tuh-ree

Definition

The events or period from a very long time ago, especially before the Middle Ages; also used informally to mean something that is no longer relevant or important.

Usage & Nuances

Formally, it refers to early civilizations or times before the Middle Ages. Informally, it's common in conversation to mean something outdated or not worth discussing, as in 'That argument is ancient history.' Usually not used for recent events.

• Spanish: historia antigua
• Portuguese (BR): história antiga
• Portuguese (PT): história antiga
• Chinese (Simplified): 古代历史
• Chinese (Traditional): 古代歷史
• Hindi: प्राचीन इतिहास
• Arabic: تاريخ قديم
• Bengali: প্রাচীন ইতিহাস - পুরাতন কথা (হালকা অর্থে)
• Russian: древняя история - дело давно минувших дней (переносно)
• Japanese: 古代の歴史 - 昔のこと（比喩的）
• Vietnamese: lịch sử cổ đại - chuyện xưa cũ (nghĩa bóng)
• Korean: 고대 역사 - 예전 일 (비유적)
• Turkish: antik tarih - eskimiş mesele (mecazi)
• Urdu: قدیم تاریخ - پرانی بات (مجازاً)
• Indonesian: sejarah kuno - urusan lama (makna kiasan)

Example Sentences

We studied ancient history in school last year.

basic

Egypt has a lot of ancient history.

basic

The ruins are from ancient history.

basic

Don’t worry about that mistake—it's ancient history now.

natural

Our argument is ancient history—let’s move on.

natural

Everything from high school feels like ancient history to me.

natural