noun
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the quality or state of being modern
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something modern
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of modernity
Explanation
Use the noun modernity when you're talking about the newness of something, like the modernity of the new, sleek skyscraper in your city. When something is contemporary — it feels like it belongs in the present day — you might take note of its modernity. Sometimes people use the word to discuss something old that's becoming more modern, or attempting to find its place today. You could talk about the balance between tradition and modernity in the Hindu faith, for example. The root of modernity is the Latin word modernus, "modern."
Vocabulary lists containing modernity
Top Ten Most Relevant Words from the Second Democratic Debate, November 14, 2015
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Second Democratic Debate 20 words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Modernity basically means increased consumption. The concept of LiFE is not in conformity with that trend of consumerism," says Dr Nilanjan Ghosh, president of the Indian Society for Ecological Economics.
From BBC • Nov. 8, 2022
In chapter 6, "The Modernity Problem," you highlight three issues.
From Salon • Sep. 11, 2022
Modernity, Mumford complained at length, was too dependent on fossil fuels.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2022
Modernity and advanced technological developments demand particular kinds of mental behaviors, mental adaptations.
From Washington Post • Jun. 13, 2021
Modernity, led by the automobile, was perforating the frontier.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
