postmodern

adjective

post·​mod·​ern ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dərn How to pronounce postmodern (audio)
 nonstandard  -ˈmä-d(ə-)rən
1
: of, relating to, or being an era after a modern one
postmodern times
a postmodern metropolis
2
a
: of, relating to, or being any of various movements in reaction to modernism that are typically characterized by a return to traditional materials and forms (as in architecture) or by ironic self-reference and absurdity (as in literature)
b
: of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or language
postmodern feminism
postmodernist adjective or noun
postmodernity
ˌpōs(t)-mə-ˈdər-ne-tē How to pronounce postmodern (audio)
-mä-
 also  -ˈder-
noun

Examples of postmodern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pennies from Heaven was based on British writer Dennis Potter’s postmodern TV series about the morbid inner life of a Depression-era sheet music salesman named Arthur (played by Steve Martin). Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2024 This kind of inspiration/homage, in the postmodern age, should render a piece of art on its own terms. Ira Silverberg, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024 By the end of the 1990s, just about no recreational diver was using a mechanical watch anyways, so the whole idea of a mechanical dive watch today is a nostalgic exercise in postmodern irony. Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2024 Perched on a cliff above the main beach, the recently reopened 70-room hotel certainly feels like a beacon: its crisp, postmodern facade can be seen from nearly any stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway that rolls straight through town. Christina Pérez, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for postmodern 

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of postmodern was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near postmodern

Cite this Entry

“Postmodern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postmodern. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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