medieval
Americanadjective
-
of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or in the style of the Middle Ages.
medieval architecture.
-
Informal. extremely old-fashioned; primitive.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or in the style of the Middle Ages
-
informal old-fashioned; primitive
Discover More
“Medieval” is sometimes used as a term of disapproval for outdated ideas and customs.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
- antimedieval adjective
- antimedievally adverb
- medievally adverb
- postmedieval adjective
- pseudomedieval adjective
- pseudomedievally adverb
- quasi-medieval adjective
- unmedieval adjective
Etymology
Origin of medieval
1820–30; < New Latin medi ( um ) aev ( um ) the middle age + -al 1. See medium, age
Compare meaning
How does medieval compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adjective medieval to describe something from the Middle Ages, or something so backwards that it might as well be from the Middle Ages. A teacher once rapped your knuckles with a ruler as punishment? That’s practically medieval! Medieval can also have positive connotations, since the Middle Ages are remembered as a time of knights and courtly love, when chivalry and honor were highly valued. If a guy doesn’t mind getting his feet wet lifting his girlfriend over a big puddle, that’s medieval in a nice way. However, if he then dies of the bubonic plague, that’s medieval in a less nice way.
Vocabulary lists containing medieval
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Fish in a Tree
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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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.
Christendom, in the medieval world of the Crusades, was Europe against the Islamic world.
From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026
To ordinary churchgoers, the God of medieval imagination appeared distant and inscrutable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Keyes worked on a previous project that explored medieval techniques to produce manuscripts.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Following his answer Monday, Mary Rambaran-Olm, an academic specializing in medieval literature, said "can someone introduce Zohran Mamdani to the writings by his dad on British imperialism?"
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
Experimentum was, as a consequence, the word generally used by medieval philosophers to describe artificially Constructed experiences.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
