new wave

American  

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.

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New Wave ¹ British  

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

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New Wave ² British  

noun

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

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new wave ³ British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• new-wave adjective
• newwaver noun

Etymology

Origin of new wave

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

A dreamy conflation of 1970s soft rock and 80s new wave hooks, it was heralded by the smash hit As It Was, and was showered with awards.

From BBC

After 17 years operating as Facebook, Meta changed its name in 2021 in a bet-the-company move ushering in what it promised was a new wave of online connectivity called the metaverse.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rather than selling machines to optometrists, who were making a fortune selling glasses, the maker sold machines to a new wave of ophthalmologists to perform surgeries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Across the league, a new wave of quarterbacks outshined the old guard and wound up piloting the best teams in the sport.

From The Wall Street Journal

“There’s a new wave that’s hitting the coast, primarily driven by AI.”

From Los Angeles Times