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modern definition

mod·ern (mäd′ərn)

adjective

  1. of the present or recent times; specif.,
    1. of or having to do with the latest styles, methods, or ideas; up-to-date
    2. designating or of certain contemporary trends and schools of art, music, literature, dance, etc.
  2. of or relating to the period of history after the Middle Ages, from c. 1450 to the present day
  3. designating the form of a language in its most recent stage of development

Etymology: Fr moderne < LL modernus < L modo, just now, orig. abl. of modus: see mode

noun

  1. a person living in modern times
  2. a person having modern ideas, beliefs, standards, etc.
  3. Printing a style of typeface characterized by heavy down strokes contrasting with narrow cross strokes

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

modern Synonyms

modern

modif.

  1. Up to date

    current, new, up-to-date, latest, up-to-the-minute, stylish, modish, chic, smart, conforming, swank, late, recent, of the present, prevailing, prevalent, faddish, avant-garde, present-day, advanced, modernistic, streamlined, breaking with tradition, untraditional, new-fashioned, having the new look, contemporary, in vogue, in use, in the air, common, just out, state-of-the-art, space-age, ahead of its time, postmodern, with it*, in the swim*, newfangled*, sharp*, smooth*, mod*, cool*, now*, trendy*; see also fashionable, fresh 1.

    Antonyms old-fashioned*, out-of-date*, out-of-style.

  2. Having the comforts of modern life

    modernistic, modernized, renovated, functional, with modern conveniences, done over, having modern improvements, strictly modern; see also convenient 1, improved 1.

    Antonyms Victorian*, dilapidated*, run down. *

  3. Concerning recent times

    contemporary, contemporaneous, recent, concurrent, present-day, coincident, synchronous, twentieth-century, latter-day, mechanical, of the Machine Age, automated, of modern times, modernist; see also now 1, present 1.

    Antonyms old*, medieval*, primordial. See syn. study at new.new.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

modern Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • secondary: Until 1984 the Hill's main rivals were Brookdale, the former secondary modern, and posh boy's school Rodney Bennett.

Modifies a noun

  • society: The standards of decent modern society were set by the Enlightenment.

Modifying Another Word

  • thoroughly: The showroom looked thoroughly modern, following its renovation last year, with additional design touches now being introduced by Honda.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: When it opened in 1968, the complex seemed as modern as a jumbo jet.
modern usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

modern quotes

L'art moderne a une tendance essentiellement de¤  moniaque. Modern art tends towards the demonic.

-Baudelaire, Charles

What Art was to the ancient world, Science is to the modern.

-Disraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

The real accomplishment of modern science and technology consists in taking ordinary men, informing them narrowlyand deeply and then, through appropriate organization, arranging to have their knowledge combined with that of other specialized but equally ordinary men. This dispenses with the need for genius.Theresulting performance, though lessinspiring, is far more predictable.

-Galbraith,John Kenneth

modern quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"modern." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/modern>

APA Style

modern. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/modern

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