“Classic” vs “Classical”

No two words in the English language are so similar, and yet so different.

Classic means something of the highest quality or class in a genre:  a “classic” automobile like the Rolls Royce, a “classic” movie like “Gone With The Wind” or a “classic” book like “War and Peace”.

Classical can refer to a specific period in history, specifically the Classical Age of Greece and Rome; or also, when referring to music and literature.  Classical refers to the most enduring forms of that genre: Homer’s “Iliad”, or Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony.

Not all classical writing is “classic”, and not all classic literature is “classical”.  Which is why we have “Classic Rock”, but we will never have “Classical Rock ‘n Roll”.

So:

• Use classical only when referring to something of Greek or Roman antiquity or when talking about music, generally music composed in the 18^th and 19^th century by specific composers in that era.
• Use classic as an adjective to describe something that is of high quality, or is “typical”.

So when your doctor says you have a “classic” case of measles, he is really saying you have a typical case of measles. You won’t be mentioned in any medical textbooks as having anything extraordinary.  It can sound confusing, but it really isn’t:

Use Classic for: an example: a case, novel, work, or automobile.
Use Classical for:  music, ballet, architecture, scholar, or a specific historical period.