postmodern

American  

[pohst-mod-ern] / poʊstˈmɒd ərn /

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.

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postmodern British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• postmodernist
  noun
• postmodernism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of postmodern

First recorded in 1945–50; post- + modern

Example Sentences

Our postmodern pope’s meta-callback to another papal deep-cut.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

"We started with Michael Boyd at the Tron pantomime and we wanted to get the essence of that postmodern, Scottish music hall culture and put it on a big stage," he says.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

I won’t assume y’all know what that postmodern design is.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Nietzsche began a new era of postmodern unease that recognizes the limits of rational control but is unwilling or unable to reject it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Their meetings acquired the flavor of a postmodern literary puzzle: The story rang true even as the narrator seemed entirely unreliable.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis