atomic age

American  

noun

1. the period in history initiated by the first use of the atomic bomb and characterized by atomic energy as a military, political, and industrial factor.

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atomic age British  

noun

1. the current historical period, initiated by the development of the first atomic bomb towards the end of World War II and now marked by a balance of power between nations possessing the hydrogen bomb and the use of nuclear power as a source of energy

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Etymology

Origin of atomic age

First recorded in 1940–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atomic age

In the early atomic age, the division of labor between the public and private sectors was also up for grabs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

For a secular atomic age, writers who met such extraterrestrials placed them in the same role as God: bearing an unimpeachable command that transcended politics and nation and had to be obeyed.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2023

Hans Bethe, Neils Bohr, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leo Szilard all contributed to this book and it was the first major publication that said we are in the atomic age.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 24, 2023

Another might marvel at the atomic age bridge linking "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie," where the multi-level Dreamhouse cubes call to mind midcentury case study houses.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2023

Crucial meeting of the atomic age, September 22, 1941.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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