Meaning & use
archaeological
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to the study of past human life by digging up and examining old objects and sites.
Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: archaeological research, an archaeological dig.
Patterns
- archaeological evidence
- archaeological site
- archaeological research
The team found archaeological evidence of a Roman settlement.
She wrote her thesis on archaeological methods used in the Mediterranean.
Visitors are not allowed to remove archaeological objects from the site.
Common combinations
- archaeological evidence
- Archaeological evidence suggests the village was abandoned suddenly.
- archaeological site
- The archaeological site attracts thousands of tourists each year.
- archaeological dig
- Students joined an archaeological dig in the summer.
- archaeological research
- Her archaeological research focuses on ancient trade routes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- historical
- Historical means connected with history in general, while archaeological specifically refers to studying the past through physical remains.
Word family
- archaeology noun
- The study of past human life through remains.
- archaeologist noun
- A person who studies archaeology.
Commonly confused: archaeological or archeological?
archaeological vs archeological
This is the American spelling of the same word; both are correct, but use one spelling consistently.
Practice
The museum displayed _______ finds from the Bronze Age.
Choose one answer.
The blank needs an adjective to describe 'finds', so 'archaeological' is correct. 'Archaeology' is a noun, 'archaeologist' is a person, and 'archaeologically' is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “archaeological”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.