premodern

American  

[pree-mahd-ern] / ˌpriˈmɑd ərn /

adjective

1. of or relating to any period before the modern era.

2. of or relating to any present-day culture that has not adopted modern values, technology, etc.

3. (in the arts and philosophy) relating to or characteristic of the period before the dominance of modernism.

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noun

plural

premoderns

1. a person who lived during a period before the modern era.

2. a person whose work in the arts or philosophy is characteristic of the period before the dominance of modernism.

Other Word Forms

• premodernism noun
• premodernist noun
• premodernity noun

Example Sentences

Inevitable are thoughts of ancient Stonehenge, or perhaps primordial cairns marking trails or burial grounds in premodern societies.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025

By the mid-19th century, gleaning had faded into memory, a relic of premodern agrarian life overtaken by the relentless march of progress.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2025

This mimamoru approach has its roots in a premodern concept of nature, according to Professor Yosuke Hirota at the Graduate School of Literature and Human Sciences of Osaka Metropolitan University.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

Writing and scholarly research were not always well funded in the premodern world, so wealthy patrons, including the caliph himself, provided financial support to scholars capable of completing this work.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

“It is a little-known fact that cannibalism was widespread among many premodern societies.”

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth