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

The next phase of AI is set to be dominated by inference, the process of running AI models, and its application to the new wave of AI applications known as agents.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

She’s part of a new wave of travelers, particularly Gen Z, opting for these types of trips over extended vacations, according to an AirBnb trend report.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

"I definitely feel part of new wave of Manchester, but that's been taken under the wing of the old guard, for sure."

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The proliferation of bot taskmasters is being fueled by a new wave of AI tools, which have reshaped what it means to be a software engineer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

A new wave of anxiety began building in her fingers; she tempered it by making a tight fist.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray