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.
The desk’s postmodern French brutalist throne chair is from Galerie Paradis, while the large vase on the pedestal is by ceramic artist Jaye Kim. Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 29 Jan. 2025 The grounds are a swirl of 18th-century gothic details, recognizable to Grimm heads who can already smell the inevitability of awful events locking into place, and hazy, dreamlike ‘70s arthouse vibes, in part thanks to the postmodern title cards and a soundtrack of harps and synthesizers. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025 In this 227-page account, which is dotted with illustrations drawn by the author himself, anecdotes range in subject from ancient Greek designs to postmodern master Michael Graves’s work for JCPenney. Geoffrey Montes, Architectural Digest, 1 Jan. 2025 Busoni had enormous respect for the past, too, and in that regard he may be more appropriately described as the first postmodern composer. Joshua Barone, New York Times, 24 Dec. 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 5 Feb. 2025.

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