postmodernism

American  

[pohst-mod-er-niz-uhm] / poʊstˈmɒd ərˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.

---

postmodernism Cultural  

1. A movement, particularly in architecture, that reacted against the pared-down modern school by reintroducing classical and traditional elements of style. An example of this style is Philip Johnson's AT&T Building in New York City.

---

Other Word Forms

• postmodernist
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of postmodernism

First recorded in 1970–75; post- + modernism

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

postmodernism

Mr. Saad calls postmodernism “the granddaddy of all parasitic ideas.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Emerging in the late ’60s and hitting its stride by the ’80s, postmodernism is defined as a reaction against that less-is-more, strict-type of modernism that came from Europe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

That is the subtitle of “Keyframes for a Hippogriff,” the sprawling, chaotic explosion of postmodernism that the New York Philharmonic played on Saturday evening at David Geffen Hall, conducted by Thomas Sondergard.

From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2024

There was a lot of theoretical architecture going around, mostly originated, I think, from the East Coast — postmodernism, brutalism, all of these ‘-isms.’

From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2023

What is the driving force behind relativism and postmodernism?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---