new-world

1 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the New World
Snatches and scraps of old-world philosophies and new-world ethics floated through his mind …Jack London
New-world visitors accustomed to sedate, 55-mile-an-hour speed limits, lane discipline, and courtly driving may be genuinely astonished at old-world ways, especially when they're struggling with a stick shift on a hot summer day with no air-conditioning in the car.Tony Rocca
We new-world settlers … brought the imagination of other countries to transplant it in a different geography.Guy Davenport
Even notes of honey can emerge with bottle age, and new-world examples of the wine made from ripe-picked grapes have exhibited aromas of fig and black raspberry jam.John Winthrop Haeger

New World

2 of 2

noun

Phrases
the New World
: the western hemisphere
especially : the continental landmass of North and South America
It must therefore be inferred that the colonizers of the New World … numbered at least 900 individuals … Johanna Nichols
compare old world

Examples of new-world in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Desai’s multipart meet-cute lets her challenge neat old-world–new-world dichotomies. Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025 Increasingly, castor oil is being transformed into high-performance fibers and biopolymers, proving that old-world remedies can fuel new-world innovation. Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
The story of these New World warblers was written within the past 10 million years or so – relatively recently in evolutionary terms. David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025 And Christopher Columbus stocked up with 1,000 tons of biscotti (the equivalent of a small cargo ship) to power his expeditions to the New World. Vittoria Traverso, Popular Science, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for new-world

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1855, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of new-world was in 1549

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Cite this Entry

“New-world.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/new-world. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

New World

noun
: the western hemisphere
especially : the continental landmass of North and South America
Last Updated: - Definition revised
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