Classic or classical?

Classic: adjective

Classic means ‘high quality’. In particular, we use it to mean something that is valued because it has a traditional style:

• She was wearing a classic dark blue skirt.
• It’s a classic motorbike from the 1940s.

Classic also means a perfect or most typical example of something:

• The show is a classic example of TV made for children.

Classic: noun

We can use a classic and the classics to refer to the greatest and most famous works of literature from the past:

• Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ is a classic.
• I never read modern novels. I always prefer the classics, such as Dickens and Jane Austen.

Classics without an article means the academic subject which includes the study of Ancient Greek and Latin:

• My sister is studying Classics at Manchester University right now.

Classical: adjective

We use classical to refer to the culture of the past and to art forms which belong to a long formal tradition:

• Mozart is probably the best-known classical composer.
• She’s only eight years old and she has learned to dance both classical and modern ballet.

See also

• Adjectives