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According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, both 'classic' and 'classical' mean very typical in a sense. However, in Longman Dictionary of contemporary English and Oxford Collocations Dictionary only 'classic' collocates with 'symptoms'. So, are these two sentences perfectly correct? 1- She displayed the classic symptoms of depression. 2- She displayed the classical symptoms of depression. If not, why? Is it a matter of collocations? Is it a matter of common usage? Thank you in advance for your help.

herisson
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Youssef Beltagy
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    You just have to know these on a case-by-case basis. We speak of "classical music" (symphonies and operas and the like) but "classic rock" (electric guitars, Top 40, etc.). – Robusto Aug 29 '15 at 11:45
  • You could use "classical symptoms of depression" in the sense of "relating to the first significant period of an area of study" (see TimLymington's link) - i.e., the symptoms that an 18th- or 19th-century doctor would have recognized as "depression" in contrast to the way that a 21st-century psychology textbook describes the condition. – alephzero Aug 29 '15 at 20:34

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I'd use classic to mean 'typical' with symptoms Ngram shows a much less common use of classical symptoms of depression vs classic symptoms of depression . See below the definitions:

Classical:

  • has a few narrow definitions, including
    • (1) of or relating to the ancient Greeks or Romans,
    • (2) of or relating to a peak stage of a civilization, and
    • (3) of or relating to European orchestral music of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
  • These aren’t the only definitions of classical. What’s important is that the term usually relates to fairly well-defined historical periods of culture and science.

Classic:

  • is broader. Its main adjectival definitions are
    • (1) of lasting significance or worth
    • (2) typical, and
    • (3) adhering to established standards of elegance or restraint.
  • As a noun, it means an enduring work, and as a plural, with the (and usually capitalized—the Classics), it refers to the literature of ancient Greece and Rome.

The Grammarist

Both sources below don't define "classical" with the connotation of 'typical of its kind'.

Classic vs classical (dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar)

Classical (ODO)

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