new wave

noun

variants often New Wave

1

: a cinematic movement that is characterized by improvisation, abstraction, and subjective symbolism and that often makes use of experimental photographic techniques

2

: a new movement in a particular field

3

: popular music less raw than punk rock and typically including unconventional melodies, exaggerated beats, and quirky lyrics

4

: dernier cri

especially : fashion that is strikingly outrageous

new-wave

ˈnü-ˈwāv 

ˈnyü-, 

-ˌwāv

adjective

new waver

ˈnü-ˈwā-vər 

ˈnyü-

noun

Examples of new wave in a Sentence

people who listened to punk, New Wave, or disco

Recent Examples on the Web

Five years after the Ghostbusters took the Statue of Liberty for a walk, a new wave of supernatural terror hits the Big Apple. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 June 2026

Set five years after the Ghostbusters took the Statue of Liberty for a walk, young, scrappy New Yorkers face a new wave of supernatural terror hitting the Big Apple. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 24 June 2026

The small businesses that accommodate and recognize how Gen Z uses and responds to AI technology will be more attractive to this new wave of workers. — Shawn Chang, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

While new wave and punk were dominating Manhattan clubs in the ’70s, hip-hop was starting in the Bronx. — Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 22 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for new wave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave