new wave

noun

1. a movement, trend, or vogue, as in art, literature, or politics, that breaks with traditional concepts, values, techniques, or the like.

2. (often initial capital letters),  a group of leaders or representatives of such a movement, especially of French film directors of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

3. (often initial capital letters),  a largely minimalist but emotionally intense style of rock music, being an outgrowth of punk rock in the late 1970s, typified by spare or repetitive arrangements, and emphasizing energetic, unpolished performance.

New Wave

¹

noun

1. Also known as: La Nouvelle Vague. a movement in the French cinema of the 1960s, led by such directors as Godard, Truffaut, and Resnais, characterized by a fluid use of the camera and an abandonment of traditional editing techniques

New Wave

²

noun

1. rock music of the late 1970s, related to punk but more complex: sometimes used to include punk

new wave

³

noun

1. a movement in art, film-making, politics, etc, that consciously breaks with traditional ideas

Other Word Forms

• new-wave adjective
• newwaver noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of New Wave¹

First recorded in 1955–60