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postmodern

[ pohst-mod-ern ]

adjective

  1. noting or pertaining to architecture of the late 20th century, appearing in the 1960s, that consciously uses complex forms, fantasy, and allusions to historic styles, in contrast to the austere forms and emphasis on utility of standard modern architecture.
  2. extremely modern; cutting-edge:

    postmodern kids who grew up on MTV.



postmodern

/ pəʊstˈmɒdən /

adjective

  1. (in the arts, architecture, etc) characteristic of a style and school of thought that rejects the dogma and practices of any form of modernism; in architecture, contrasting with international modernism and featuring elements from several periods, esp the Classical, often with ironic use of decoration
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • postˈmodernist, nounadjective
  • postˈmoderˌnism, noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of postmodern1

First recorded in 1945–50; post- + modern
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Example Sentences

If I were ever asked to teach a class in postmodern art, I would hold up the entire meme as a signature example of the staggering creative force unleashed by the Great Digital Convergence.

By the 1980s, Cindy Sherman’s mercurial practice had made her a paragon of the postmodern.

The story of fluoridation reads like a postmodern fable, and the moral is clear: a scientific discovery might seem like a boon.

Brash, crass, and overflowing with wiseass attitude, he remains the ultimate postmodern superhero.

Brash, crass, and sporting a perpetually raised eyebrow, Ash Williams remains the ultimate postmodern superhero.

It’s arguably the best film of the ‘90s—a postmodern pop culture smorgasbord awash in nihilism and dripping with retro cool.

We Americans, as the postmodern conservative professor Peter Lawler has put it, refuse to see ourselves as mere "history fodder."

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