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

Example Sentences

The atomic age made it potentially life-ending for humanity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026

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

Looking forward to how this show navigates the atomic age and the dark side of the moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2023

"Her reign saw the dawn of the atomic age, the age of the internet, the fall of the Soviet Union, an unprecedented global pandemic," Schumer remembered.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2022

So the first real hero of the atomic age, if not the first personage on the scene, was Ernest Rutherford.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson