Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Relating to ancient Greek or Roman culture: Pertaining to the art, literature, or culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
   • Standard, authoritative, or of the highest quality: Representing an exemplary standard within a long-established tradition.
   • Relating to a formal, enduring style in the arts: Characterizing music, art, or literature that adheres to traditional forms of balance, harmony, and restraint, often contrasted with romantic or popular styles.
   • Based on or studying the ancient classics: Concerned with the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome.

2. Noun:

   • A style or work of enduring excellence: A piece of art, music, or literature considered to be of the highest rank and lasting value.
   • Traditional serious music: Music in the European tradition, such as symphonies, concertos, and operas, as opposed to folk, jazz, or popular music.

Examples

• Adjective:

  • She studies classical languages like Latin and Greek.
  • The building's design features classical columns and pediments.
  • He prefers classical physics over modern quantum theory.
  • That is a classical example of logical reasoning.

• Noun:

  • I listen to classical on the radio every morning.
  • The concert will feature both a modern piece and a classical by Mozart.

Advanced Usage

• "classical conditioning": A learning process in psychology where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus to elicit a similar response.

  • Pavlov's experiments with dogs are the classical example of conditioning.

• "classical economics": The school of economic thought originating in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, associated with Adam Smith and David Ricardo.

  • The theory is rooted in the principles of classical economics.

Variants and Related Words

• Classic (adj/n): Of the highest quality or most typical of its kind; a work of enduring excellence. (Note: 'Classic' is often used more broadly than 'classical'.)
  • 'Pride and Prejudice' is a classic novel.
• Classically (adv): In a way that relates to or is typical of ancient Greek or Roman culture, or a formal tradition.
  • She was classically trained as a ballet dancer.
• Classicism (n): The following of traditional and long-established theories or styles, especially in art and literature.
  • The architecture reflected the principles of classicism.

Synonyms

• Traditional: Long-established, customary.
• Authoritative: Recognized as accurate or definitive.
• Conventional: Based on what is generally done or believed.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: 'Classical' is not typically used to form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

• "A classical education": An education based on the humanities, especially the study of Latin, Greek, and ancient history.
  • He received a classical education at a private school.

Adjective

1. of or pertaining to or characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures
   • classical mythology
   • classical
2. (language) having the form used by ancient standard authors
   • classical Greek
3. of or relating to the study of the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome
   • a classical scholar
4. of recognized authority or excellence
   • the definitive work on Greece
   • classical methods of navigation
5. of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture
   • classic Cinese pottery

Noun

1. traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste