classical

Has the building got columns in front of it? Check. Has the music got lots of strings and horns? Check. Chances are both are classical — representative of a past culture.

Often classical describes anything from ancient Greek or Roman culture, because, boy, those guys were good. Be careful when using classical and classic; they're not exactly the same. While something classical is usually a classic, it doesn't necessarily work the other way around. A classic is something exceptional that we tend to judge in a different time frame. A classic rock album? Definitely not made by the ancient Greeks or Romans. So far as we know.

Primary Meanings of classical

1.	adj	of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture
2.	adj	of recognized authority or excellence
3.	n	traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste

Full Definitions of classical

adj of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture

Synonyms:: classic

: Graeco-Roman, Greco-Roman, Hellenic, classic
of or pertaining to or characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures; neoclassic, neoclassical
characteristic of a revival of an earlier classical style

Antonyms:: nonclassical
not classical; modern
characteristic of present-day art and music and literature and architecture; pop, popular
(of music or art) new and of general appeal (especially among young people); show more antonyms...

adj of or pertaining to or characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures

“classical mythology”

“classical”

Synonyms:: Graeco-Roman, Greco-Roman, Hellenic, classic

: classic
of or relating to the most highly developed stage of an earlier civilisation and its culture

adj of or relating to the study of the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome

“a classical scholar”

adj (language) having the form used by ancient standard authors

“classical Greek”

Synonyms:: received, standard
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

adj of recognized authority or excellence

“classical methods of navigation”

Synonyms:: authoritative, classic, definitive

: standard
established or well-known or widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence

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

Synonyms:: classical music, serious music

Examples:: Messiah
an oratorio composed by Handel in 1742

Types:: show 14 types...; hide 14 types...; chamber music
serious music performed by a small group of musicians; opera
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes; cantata, oratorio
a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text; concerto
a composition for orchestra and a soloist; fugue
a musical form consisting of a theme repeated a fifth above or a fourth below its first statement; rondeau, rondo
a musical form that is often the last movement of a sonata; sonata
a musical composition of 3 or 4 movements of contrasting forms; bouffe, comic opera, opera bouffe, opera comique
opera with a happy ending and in which some of the text is spoken; grand opera
opera in which all the text is sung; musical drama
opera in which the musical and dramatic elements are equally important; the music is appropriate to the action; concerto grosso
a baroque composition for orchestra and a group of solo instruments; piano sonata
a sonata for piano; sonatina
a short and simple sonata; symphonic music, symphony
a long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra

Type of:: genre, music genre, musical genre, musical style
an expressive style of music