存在已久
把「屬於遠古」放寬一點：不一定要追到幾千年前，只要某樣東西已經存在了非常非常久，久到像從老早就在那裡，也可以用 ancient。
very long-lasting · adjective · B1
Having existed for a very long time.
古老的
核心畫面
You can picture ancient as reaching far, far back in time — not just old, but belonging to an age thousands of years gone, like the stone ruins of Greece or Egypt that were already old long before anyone alive was born.
可以把 ancient 想成「一路往回追到很遠很遠的從前」——不只是舊，而是屬於幾千年前那個時代。核心畫面比較像希臘…更多收起
可以把 ancient 想成「一路往回追到很遠很遠的從前」——不只是舊，而是屬於幾千年前那個時代。核心畫面比較像希臘、埃及那些石砌的遺跡：在現在任何活著的人出生以前，它們就已經很老很老了。From the picture
誇張地說很舊
把「遠古」的份量拿來開玩笑誇張：明明沒那麼老的人或東西，故意說成像幾千年前的古物一樣，用誇大來逗趣。
old (joking) · adjective · B1
Very old — used in a joking way, often about a person or thing that is not really that old.
老掉牙的
早就過去、不再重要
同樣借「遠古」的距離感：一件事被說成 ancient history，意思是它早就過去了、隔得太遠，現在已經不重要、不必再提。
ancient history (no longer important) · adjective · B1
Used in the phrase 'ancient history' to say that something happened long ago and is no longer important now.
陳年往事
古代的人
把形容「遠古」的這個字，直接拿來指那個時代『的人』：住在幾千年前的人們，特別是希臘人和羅馬人。
people of ancient times · noun · B2
People who were alive thousands of years ago, above all those of ancient Greece and Rome.
古人
Also in this word
from ancient times · adjective · B1
From a time far back in history, especially thousands of years ago.
古代的
原始詞典資料11 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
ancientadj詞源 1/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
- 1
Having lasted from a remote period; having been of long duration; of great age, very old.
- an ancient city
- an ancient forest
- 2
Existent or occurring in time long past, usually in remote ages; belonging to or associated with antiquity; old, as opposed to modern.
- an ancient author
- an ancient empire
- 3
historyhuman-sciencessciencesRelating to antiquity as a primarily European historical period; the time before the Middle Ages.
- 4
obsoleteExperienced; versed.
- approved by the consent of the moste ancient doctors of the Churche [part of the book title]
- 5
obsoleteFormer; sometime.
- They mourned their ancient leader lost.
ancientnoun詞源 1/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
- 1
A person who is very old.
- Hetty and Mrs. Piper watched them with a lynx-eyed understanding and before the ancient was well upon his road his way was blocked by Hetty.
- 2
A person who lived in ancient times.
- What is ancient for us was in its own time a reworking of what was ancient for the ancients.
- 3
lawOne of the senior members of the Inns of Court or of Chancery.
- 4
obsoleteA senior; an elder; a predecessor.
- Junius and Andronicus […] in Christianity […] were his ancients.
ancientnoun詞源 2/ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
- 1
archaicgovernmentheraldryhobbiesA flag, banner, standard or ensign.
- [D]iſcarded, vniuſt ſeruingmen, yonger ſonnes to yonger brothers, reuolted tapſters, and Oſtlers, tradefalne, the cankers of a calme world, and a long peace, ten times more diſhonourable ragged then an olde fazd ancient, […]
- I got all things ready as he had directed, and waited the next morning with the boat washed clean, her ancient and pendants out, and everything to accommodate his guests..
- 2
obsoleterareThe bearer of a flag; ensign.
- I preſt mee none but such toſtes and butter with hearts in their bellies no bigger then pianes heades, and they haue bought out their ſeruices, and now my whole charge conſiſts of Ancients, Corporals, Lieutenants, gentlemen of companies: ſlaues as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the gluttons dogs licked his ſores, and ſuch as indeed were neuer ſouldiours, […]
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。