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

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Etymology

Origin of medievalism

First recorded in 1850–55; medieval + -ism

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

medievalism

Scratch the surface of American politics or culture, and medievalism seems to always be lurking just beneath.

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

Historical slippage is always part of popular medievalism, whether you’re talking about Renaissance fairs, which are vaguely medieval and Renaissance-y, or even talking about medievalism in literature gong back a couple centuries.

From Slate ● May 30, 2018

It represented the softened manners which had developed out of the old medievalism of the century.

From Clayhanger by Arnold Bennett

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