classical

adj

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.”

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.”

3. Describing Western music and musicians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
4. (informal)Describing 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.”

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

   “a classical scholar”

   “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.”

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

   “classical dance”

   “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. Pertaining to models of physical laws that do not take quantum or relativistic effects into account; Newtonian or Maxwellian.

noun

1. (countable)One 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 […]”

2. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of classical music.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis 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.”

   “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.”