Something from or indicative of a bygone era that still exists in the present in the same or similar form (like an ancient insect preserved in amber). Amongst the booming modernity of the city's glass-paned skyscrapers and hip, trendy restaurants lies a fly in amber—Madame Couture's Curiosity Shop, still in the exact same building as when it opened in 1874 My brother still lives at home with our parents, with no job, no girlfriend, and no motivation in life, still living as a child, like a fly in amber.