postmodern

adjective

post·​mod·​ern ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dərn 

 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

postmodernism

ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm 

noun

postmodernist

ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dər-nist 

adjective or noun

postmodernity

ˌpōs(t)-mə-ˈdər-ne-tē 

-mä-

 also  -ˈder-

noun

Examples of postmodern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But exciting structures can emerge from pushing away from that single ideal and exploring, for example, postmodern architecture, where buildings can have aspects that are not strictly bounded by their function. —Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 9 May 2025

First, conservative pundits will critique postmodern rhetoric by saying the left unfairly depicts facts as subjective. —Sander Van Der Linden, Time, 6 May 2025

There’s something wonderfully postmodern happening on this Corelle set. —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 12 Apr. 2025

This is teen sexuality as postmodern spectacle: a mishmash of transgressive allusions transmuted into a product that can’t possibly be interpreted as serious. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for postmodern

• premodern
• modern