modernity

noun

mo·​der·​ni·​ty mə-ˈdər-nə-tē 

mä-,

-ˈder- 

1

: the quality or state of being or appearing to be modern

Such details as street lamps, telephone booths, mailboxes and manhole covers have been expensively recreated to recall a past that makes even young Hungarians nostalgic and Western tourists regret the flashy modernity of their cities.

—Henry Kamm

His early work portrayed the idiosyncratic behavior of his zany upper-class family whose wealth and quest for modernity impelled them to try out all the latest inventions and devices of the time, from electric razors to automobiles to flying machines.

—Naomi Rosenblum

2

: the modern era or world and especially the ideas and attitudes associated with the modern world

For all his conservatism, Henry Adams's encounter with modernity led neither to romantic antiquarianism … nor to an intensified commitment to those very liberal arts that were under siege in a market society.

—Peter N. Miller

Examples of modernity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The only nod to modernity: a flat-screen TV mounted in the corner, where President Barack Obama was giving a live press conference. —Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024

Cruyff’s signing was also an early sign as well of Catalonia’s headlong dash for modernity, after obliteration under arch conservative Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. —John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024

Such a wonderfully unique purpose, so key to the country’s journey toward modernity. —Hazlitt, 24 Jan. 2024

Torn between tradition and modernity, the country is in the midst of an identity crisis. —Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024

Great for an entryway, mud room, or dining table, the bench’s minimalist design will bring a touch of modernity. —Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024

But as modernity spread across the island in the past two centuries, tribal elders worried that many of their Indigenous culinary practices would die out. —Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

This meticulous depiction of Bach’s life and work, seen from the point of view of his second wife, emphasizes his modernity, and the enduring complexity of his work, by tracking his bitter conflicts with the authorities of his time. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024

Gaitan’s artwork is what happens when antiquity meets modernity. —Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1