1
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
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2
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relic
Every wreck, every ruin is the relic of a shriveled dream, lasting long after the body of its dreamer has been received back into the earth with love or remorse or indifference.
—
Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 10 July 2025
Tuesday’s in-person auction was expected to last all day as the J. Sugarman Auction Corp. led some 200 bidders and spectators through a plodding tour of the show’s mostly pedestrian relics.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
This development pattern — a relic of Louisville’s industrial heritage — leaves only a few hundred feet and a chain link fence between homes and some of the city’s most high-risk industrial operations.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Embellished with gold mining relics, the wine cave gives a nod to the era.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for relic
Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 10 July 2025
Tuesday’s in-person auction was expected to last all day as the J. Sugarman Auction Corp. led some 200 bidders and spectators through a plodding tour of the show’s mostly pedestrian relics.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
This development pattern — a relic of Louisville’s industrial heritage — leaves only a few hundred feet and a chain link fence between homes and some of the city’s most high-risk industrial operations.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Embellished with gold mining relics, the wine cave gives a nod to the era.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for relic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relic
Noun
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Archaeologists, who conducted a dig around the site in 2023, collected artifacts painting a tableaux of workers enduring unhealthy conditions hoping to attain a middle-class rank, according to an archaeology report released in March.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 July 2025
-
Upon graduation, my real awaking came in travel, particularly in Central America, stumbling across artifacts and cultural sacred sites that we were never taught about in school.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 July 2025
Noun
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Shop at downtown boutiques, stores The downtown area offers a chance to shop from unique local businesses selling apparel, jewelry, antiques, outdoor gear, gourmet foods, art and more.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
13 July 2025
-
Browse nautical antiques, like bells, diving helmets, and shells, at Tin Shed.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
The dinosaurs revert to instinct and viciously attack humans, thereby creating chilling suspense for audiences.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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Unlike some of the recent Jurassic movies, Koepp wanted the latest installment to get away from the idea of dinosaurs living in modern society.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
5 July 2025
Noun
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The ink spool could contain traces of the last words Lin or his daughter typed on the machine — meaning perhaps the inventor's own words are in his magical machine too.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
5 July 2025
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Soil, too, collects more than trace amounts of perchlorates, along with metals.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
Sonny strides onto the track with unruffled cool—a Pitt signature—and is laconic enough to endure a series of press conferences at which journalists are quick to label him a has-been.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
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On June 8, Nicole Scherzinger, 46, won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond, a has-been staging a comeback in Sunset Blvd, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway adaptation of the 1950 film by the same name.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Mohn was arrested hours after the killing and charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and possession of an instrument of crime.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
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Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture of the defendant, who’s been charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and other offenses for the January 2024 killing of 68-year-old Michael F. Mohn in the family’s Levittown home.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
8 July 2025
Noun
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For context, massive flooding in New York City was caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021).—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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The remnants of an ancient community face a new age of anxiety after decades of uneasy coexistence with the mullahs’ regime.—
Roya Hakakian,
The Atlantic,
10 July 2025
Noun
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Footage shows hikers thrashing through swarms of thumbnail-sized bugs, with one person engulfed by the black-winged creatures and another scooping thousands of tiny carcasses from the trail.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
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In a recent public hearing, Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff confirmed that 15 livestock losses formed the basis of a large compensation claim, but didn’t clarify how many occurred before the producer implemented basic deterrents, like burying an open carcass pit.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Relic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relic. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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