medieval

Or me·di·ae·val

[mee-dee-ee-vuhl, med-ee-, mid-ee-, mid-ee-vuhl]

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or in the style of the Middle Ages.

   medieval architecture.

2. Informal.,  extremely old-fashioned; primitive.

medieval

/ ˌmɛdɪˈiːvəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or in the style of the Middle Ages

2. informal,  old-fashioned; primitive

medieval

1. A descriptive term for people, objects, events, and institutions of the Middle Ages.

“Medieval” is sometimes used as a term of disapproval for outdated ideas and customs. It may suggest inhuman practices, such as torture of prisoners. (See Inquisition.)

Other Word Forms

• medievally adverb
• antimedieval adjective
• antimedievally adverb
• postmedieval adjective
• pseudomedieval adjective
• pseudomedievally adverb
• quasi-medieval adjective
• unmedieval adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of medieval¹

1820–30; < New Latin medi ( um ) aev ( um ) the middle age + -al ¹. See medium, age

Word History and Origins

Origin of medieval¹

C19: from New Latin medium aevum the middle age. See _medium , _age

Example Sentences

For a medieval economy that had scarcely grown in 1,500 years, the Industrial Revolution in the U.K. unleashed a greater concentration of material blessings than ordinary people had ever experienced.

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The sobriety of “Robin Hood” does not render it less than entertaining, just slow to engage its wooden wheels in the muddy ruts of a well-known medieval tale.

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A cohort of German Protestant thinkers such as Friedrich Schleiermacher theorized religion similarly—change was now progress, and liberal society clearly the heir to medieval religion.

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There a medieval caste system has bred, not surprisingly, rebellion and the suspicion that all is not what it seems above ground.

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The 1923 medieval galleries are now absent, but their French stone window surrounds and stained-glass windows are embedded throughout the museum.

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Related Words

• Gothic 
• antique 
• archaic 
• feudal 
• primitive