Difference between "retro" and "vintage"

What's the difference between retro and vintage? (or antique for that matter)

Solution 1:

From Merriam-Webster:

retro, adj. : relating to, reviving, or being the styles and especially the fashions of the past : fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned

vintage, adj.

1 c : of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality : CLASSIC, VENERABLE

2 a : marked by an advanced age : dating from the past

You can have new clothing with a retro style that harks back to an earlier era; or you can have vintage clothing that dates from, and was actually manufactured in, that era.

Solution 2:

"Retro" means something patterned after an old style. "Vintage" normally means something that really is old. I think the difference between "vintage" and "antique" is a matter of degree. A 20-year-old chair might be called a "vintage chair"; it wouldn't be called an "antique". A 200-year-old chair would be called an "antique". A chair made in a style that was popular 20 years ago would be "retro". I don't think I've ever heard "retro" used to describe something mimicking a style that was popular hundreds of years ago — it's more like decades.

Solution 3:

"retro" often implies that something is cool and hip, and also old or based on an older-than-current style. Example:

"I love that bright red retro bean-bag chair my mom got in the 1970's!"

"I just bought some awesome retro-style running shoes!"

"Vintage" is used for objects that are usually older than "retro" implies. There is also some implication that the object is classier than if it were retro. Example:

"We bought a vintage armoire at the antique market, and it's in excellent condition".

There's also probably some situations where either word would be appropriate. Was there a specific context you saw that raised this question?

Solution 4:

"Retro" means something done in an intentionally old-fashioned style: A retro 1950s-style mp3 jukebox

"Vintage" means an authentic piece from a specified time period in the past, though not necessarily long ago: A vintage 1978 clock radio

"Antique" refers to something from a long time ago, typically several generations and various defined (in different areas) as 50 to 100 or more years ago: An antique Victrola phonograph