medievalism

American  

[mee-dee-ee-vuh-liz-uhm, med-ee-, mid-ee-, mid-ee-vuh-] / ˌmi diˈi vəˌlɪz əm, ˌmɛd i-, ˌmɪd i-, mɪdˈi və- /

Or mediaevalism

noun

1. the spirit, practices, or methods of the Middle Ages.

2. devotion to or adoption of medieval ideals or practices.

3. a medieval belief, practice, or the like.

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medievalism British  

/ ˌmɛdɪˈiːvəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the beliefs, life, or style of the Middle Ages or devotion to those

2. a belief, custom, or point of style copied or surviving from the Middle Ages

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Other Word Forms

• antimediaevalism noun
• antimedievalism noun

Etymology

Origin of medievalism

First recorded in 1850–55; medieval + -ism

Example Sentences

It’s a kind of medievalism, in other words, that seems to have passed through a sieve of Jane Austen or Emily Brontë; now you can see it in the works of medieval-themed romantasy novels.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025

One of the things that’s especially interesting about contemporary medievalism is that movies and TV shows will often film real medieval art or in real medieval locations.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2022

From Wagner to “Game of Thrones” and back again, pop-cultural medievalism has a habit of leavening sublimity and solemnity with heavy doses of intended or inadvertent silliness.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2021

I don’t know if there’s a lot to learn, except that medievalism is so popular that you can almost not notice it.

From Slate • May 30, 2018

This measure cannot satisfy the claims of either democracy or medievalism.

From Exempting the Churches An Argument for the Abolition of This Unjust and Unconstitutional Practice by James F. Morton. Jr.