That's a very good question. "Classic" can be both a noun and an adjective, whereas "classical" is only an adjective. As adjectives, they can have very similar meanings, but usually there is a difference. "Classic" means that something is recognised as being of a high standard, and as being an example of the best of its era. For example "a classic car" is not only a good car, but one of the best of its time. You couldn't usually describe a new car as a classic, but you will sometimes hear people say that "it is destined to become a classic". "Classical" has two main uses. It can describe something as belonging to the culture of a particular era, usually the culture of ancient Greece and Rome. But it can also describe something as being a high quality example from a particular tradition. This use is closer to the meaning of "classic", but the emphasis is more on its relationship to the tradition. So for example, classical music or classical ballet are genres or traditions that involve particular styles and an expectation of excellent. I hope that helps. Sometimes the best questions are the hardest to answer simply, because the differences are subtle.

Hi, Nathan. Hi Magin. Nathan's explanation is detailed and perfect, but I'm afraid Magin may be still confused. I'd like to give some understanding of mine, from the perspective of a Chinese-speaking English learner. If any mistakes, please tell me if only you would like. There are corresponding Chinese words for each of the couple (adjective) words. Classic: 经典的, and classical: 古典的. Knowing this will make a good grasp of the relation of these two English words. 1.classic ≠ classical : 经典的，优秀的 used for modern things, or without meaning of eras or times 2. classic = classical: 典型的，具有典型特征的 for modern...or without ...times These two uses will not make confusion, I think. 3. classic ≈ classical：古典风格的，老式的，典雅的, 传统的 used (a) for modern (and often concrete) things: suit, design, furniture (b) for good things that exsist but are not made any more: cars, furniture classical: 古典的，传统的, 经典的 used for widely known and accepted (at least in the past) things, often abstract, that have a pretty long history and enjoy high prestige: ballet, theories When classical is used for music (正统的，传统的，not rap, rock and roll) and language (古文的，文言的），it's fairly easy to understand. classic/classical music of 1950s: 典型的/优秀的1950年代音乐 classical music of Russia: 俄罗斯的传统/经典音乐 a piece of classic music: 一部优秀的音乐作品 classical Chinese：文言文，古代汉语 So you can see, in Chinese we sometimes exchangeably use 经典的, 古典的, 传统的 too. With most of these uses, we do not have trouble in accurately understanding the users. It's the same about classic and classical for the English speakers. But, by contrast, I think they may have big trouble in making certain the relations between the few Chinese words.