classical

comparative more classical · superlative most classical

1. Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.

   ... Mr. Greaves, who may be juſtly reckoned a Claſſical Author on this Subject.

   1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures Explain'd and Exemplify'd in Several Dissertations, page 15

2. Of or pertaining to established principles in a discipline.

   Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get; what you get is classical alpha-taxonomy which is, very largely and for sound reasons, in disrepute today.

   1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii

   Synonyms: traditional, conventional, canonical · Antonyms: modern, experimental

3. entertainmentDescribing Western music and musicians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

   Antonyms: popular, contemporary

4. informalentertainmentDescribing art music (rather than pop, jazz, blues, etc), especially when played using instruments of the orchestra.
5. Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, especially to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced; of or pertaining to places inhabited by the ancient Greeks and Romans, or rendered famous by their deeds.

   He [Atterbury] directed the classical studies of the undergraduates of his college.

   1853, Thomas Babington Macaulay, "Atterbury, Francis" in Encyclopædia Britannica (8th ed.). Dated through The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, page 344

   Synonyms: ancient, Hellenic, Roman

6. Knowledgeable or skilled in the classics; versed in the classics.

   a classical scholar

   1 more example

   But she’s not just classy; she’s classical: so deeply versed in tap tradition and technique that she has the whole of it at her command and never has to worry.

   2022 July 27, Brian Seibert, “Dormeshia Coasts On Her Tap Mystery In 'Rhythm Is Life'”, in New York Times

7. Conforming to the best authority in literature and art; chaste; pure; refined

   classical dance

   1 more example

   1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume 1, page 151. Classical, provincial, and national synods.

8. natural sciencesPertaining to models of physical laws that do not take quantum or relativistic effects into account; Newtonian or Maxwellian.

   Antonyms: quantum, relativistic

9. mathematicsPertaining to mathematical frameworks or methods which permit proof by contradiction; nonconstructive, based on classical logic.

   On the other hand, we can now also show that corresponding statements looking like the classical law of double negation and law of excluded middle are incompatible with the univalence axiom.

   2013, The Univalent Foundations Program, Homotopy Type Theory

   1 more example

   In the presence of the double negation axiom, one can also define #92;lor, #92;land and #92;exists in terms of #92;implies, #92;neg and #92;forall in the usual classical way: A#92;lorB#58;#61;#92;negA#92;impliesB, A#92;landB#58;#61;#92;neg(#92;negA#92;lor#92;negB) and #92;existsx.P(x)#58;#61;#92;neg#92;forallx.#92;negP(x).

   2014 November 6, Rob Nederpelt, Herman Geuvers, Type Theory and Formal Proof: An Introduction, →DOI, →ISBN, page 159

   Antonyms: intuitionistic, constructive

plural classicals

1. countableOne that is classical in some way; for example, a classical economist.

   Similarly, the new classicals never claimed to be Austrians, nor did they ever make the attempt to meet Austrian objections. Therefore, we cannot fault them for not using this methodology. Nevertheless, new classicals constantly preach […]

   2002, James E Hartley, James E. Hartley, The Representative Agent in Macroeconomics, Routledge, →ISBN, page 120

2. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of classical music.
3. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableboard gamesEllipsis of classical chess.

   When I want to have fun I play blitz. When I want to go deeper and work on improving my game, I play classical and I try to do it in tournament settings.

   2015 November 3, solskytz, “IM Greg Shahade: "Slow Chess should die a fast death"”, in Chess.com

   1 more example

   In early September, Niemann scored an extraordinary win against Carlsen during an in-person tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated player since 2011, lost with the white pieces in the classical time format, a rare occurrence for the chess juggernaut.

   2022 September 23, Brian Pempus, “Hans Niemann Eliminated, Magnus Carlsen A -350 Betting Favorite To Win Online Chess Event”, in Forbes