Classic means ‘high quality’. In particular, we use it to mean something that is valued because it has a traditional style:
She was wearing a classic dark blue skirt.
It’s a classic motorbike from the 1940s.
Classic also means a perfect or most typical example of something:
The show is a classic example of TV made for children.
We can use a classic and the classics to refer to the greatest and most famous works of literature from the past:
Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ is a classic.
I never read modern novels. I always prefer the classics, such as Dickens and Jane Austen.
Classics without an article means the academic subject which includes the study of Ancient Greek and Latin:
My sister is studying Classics at Manchester University right now.
We use classical to refer to the culture of the past and to art forms which belong to a long formal tradition:
Mozart is probably the best-known classical composer.
She’s only eight years old and she has learned to dance both classical and modern ballet.