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• new wave
  new wave

  noun

  a movement, trend, or vogue, as in art, literature, or politics, that breaks with traditional concepts, values, techniques, or the like.
• New Wave
  New Wave

  noun

  a movement in the French cinema of the 1960s, led by such directors as Godard, Truffaut, and Resnais, characterized by a fluid use of the camera and an abandonment of traditional editing techniques

new wave

American  

noun

1. a movement, trend, or vogue, as in art, literature, or politics, that breaks with traditional concepts, values, techniques, or the like.

2. (often initial capital letters) a group of leaders or representatives of such a movement, especially of French film directors of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

3. (often initial capital letters) a largely minimalist but emotionally intense style of rock music, being an outgrowth of punk rock in the late 1970s, typified by spare or repetitive arrangements, and emphasizing energetic, unpolished performance.

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New Wave ¹ British  

noun

1. Also known as: La Nouvelle Vague.  a movement in the French cinema of the 1960s, led by such directors as Godard, Truffaut, and Resnais, characterized by a fluid use of the camera and an abandonment of traditional editing techniques

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New Wave ² British  

noun

1. rock music of the late 1970s, related to punk but more complex: sometimes used to include punk

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new wave ³ British  

noun

1. a movement in art, film-making, politics, etc, that consciously breaks with traditional ideas

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Other Word Forms

• new-wave
  adjective
• newwaver
  noun

Etymology

Origin of new wave

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has condemned a new wave of US sanctions on the country as "illegal and abusive".

From BBC • May 2, 2026

He is cautiously optimistic about the new wave of drugs—particularly Veradermics’s pill, which he sees as a safer, more effective version of the oral minoxidil he already takes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Christine Ji explained how Anthropic’s Mythos AI model underscores the threat of a new wave of cybercrime.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

Even if the wealthy set continues to seek the exits, a new wave of individual money may be coming.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

No one yet had accused Holmes of foul play, but the intensity of this new wave of inquiry was greater, more obliquely accusatory, than anything he previously had experienced.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson