antic

Meanings

1. 1nounusually pluralinformal

   A silly, playful or attention-seeking action, nearly always used in the plural.

   Grammar: Normally antics: the puppy's antics made everyone laugh.

   Patterns

   • someone's antics
   • the antics of someone

   The puppy's antics made the whole family laugh.

   He was banned from the stadium after his wild antics.

   The film is full of slapstick antics.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounliteraryold-fashioned

   Odd, ridiculous or fantastically playful in manner.

   Grammar: Rare and old-fashioned; appears before a noun, as in an antic dance.

   Patterns

   • an antic gesture

   The jester performed an antic dance for the king.

   Her antic humor delighted the children.

   He greeted them with an antic bow.

Word forms

Common combinations

childish antics

I'm tired of your childish antics.

playful antics

The dolphins' playful antics thrilled the crowd.

wild antics

The band's wild antics made headlines.

put up with someone's antics

The teacher put up with the class's antics.

on-field antics

The striker's on-field antics annoyed the referee.

Synonyms and how they differ

capers

Capers suggests light, mischievous adventures, often in a story, while antics focuses on behavior that draws attention.

shenanigans

Shenanigans sounds more informal and implies sneaky or dubious trickery as well as silliness.

tomfoolery

Tomfoolery means foolish behavior in general and is more disapproving than antics.

Word family

antically adverb

in a fantastic or playful way (rare)

Commonly confused: antic or antique? antic or attic?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “antic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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