modernity
modernity Lexical Profile
modernity Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The quality or condition of being modern, contemporary, or up to date.
"The city blends ancient architectural traditions with a striking sense of modernity."
A historical period and socio-cultural condition beginning after the Middle Ages, characterized by industrialization, secularization, scientific rationalism, and the rise of the nation-state.
"Sociologists often examine how the transition to modernity transformed traditional family structures."
Something that is modern in character, design, or style, such as a contemporary convenience or practice (usually used in the plural).
"The remote cabin lacked basic modernities like running water and high-speed internet."
Word Nuance & Usage
In academic and philosophical contexts, 'modernity' refers to the socio-historical condition of the post-Enlightenment era, whereas 'modernism' refers specifically to the early 20th-century artistic and literary movements.
• Rhymes for modernity
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Middle French modernité or Medieval Latin modernitatem, derived from Late Latin modernus ('of the present time'), from Latin modo ('just now').