medieval
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or in the style of the Middle Ages.
medieval architecture.
-
Informal. extremely old-fashioned; primitive.
adjective
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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“Medieval” is sometimes used as a term of disapproval for outdated ideas and customs.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:
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.
A tiny polished die recovered from a deserted medieval village in Lower Radbourne, Warwickshire, resembles modern ones, but with a different numbering format.
From BBC
The origins of that notion lie in medieval church law.
From BBC
The British Association of Dermatologists said scabies was still incorrectly perceived as a "medieval disease" and that breaking down the stigma was important.
From BBC
Today, one of the biggest tourist attractions is its medieval Jewish neighborhood, which looks like a storybook village in the photographs, with its stone buildings and winding alleys.
From Literature
Yet the theme of human sacrifice persisted as a subject for deep rumination even after advances in science, industry and wealth insulated the West’s creative classes from ancient and medieval rites.
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.
