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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• antimediaevalism
  noun
• antimedievalism
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of medievalism

First recorded in 1850–55; medieval + -ism

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

medievalism

But this new kind of medievalism is everywhere, and it’s heavily gendered.

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

Attention to detail matters up to a point, but for most people it’s the smallest part of what matters, and that certainly applies to medievalism.

From Slate ● May 30, 2018

It differs from medievalism only in degree, but not a whit in kind.

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---