Did you know?

With its roots medi-, meaning "middle", and ev-, meaning "age", medieval literally means "of the Middle Ages". In this case, middle means "between the Roman empire and the Renaissance"—that is, after the fall of the great Roman state and before the "rebirth" of culture that we call the Renaissance. This same period used to be called the "Dark Ages", since it was believed that in these years civilization all but vanished. And indeed, for most Europeans in these centuries, it was a time of poverty, famine, plague, and superstition, rather than the age of magic, dazzling swordplay, towering castles, and knights in splendid armor displayed in today's graphic novels and video games.

Examples of medieval in a Sentence

Adjective They're using a computer system that seems positively medieval by today's standards. get rid of that medieval kerosene stove—it stinks and it's dangerous

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Tolling bells in a medieval cathedral atop a 686-step hill — and seaside cafés among fishermen sewing the nets on the Atlantic coast. — Fox News, 2 Aug. 2022 The medieval San Nicolò dell'Isola church on the opposite side of this bay also provides memorable panoramas. — Catherine Sabino, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 Sielski’s family, who moved to Sweden from Poland in 1986, said the disc came from a trove found in 1841 in a tomb underneath the Wiejkowo church, which replaced a medieval chapel. — Hartford Courant, 31 July 2022 Not every 17-year-old wants to spend time transcribing medieval poetry. — Anastasia Hufham, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 July 2022 Sielski's family, who moved to Sweden from Poland in 1986, said the disc came from a trove found in 1841 in a tomb underneath the Wiejkowo church, which replaced a medieval chapel. — Monika Scislowska, ajc, 31 July 2022 Another location that's no stranger to the top 10 most expensive cities in the world list, Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, stuns with its medieval architecture, fountains and deep history. — Annie O’sullivan, Good Housekeeping, 29 July 2022 The commemoration honors Prince Vladimir, who made Christianity the official religion of the medieval state of Kyivan Rus more than 1,000 years ago. — Susie Blann, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2022 The commemoration honors Prince Vladimir, who made Christianity the official religion of the medieval state of Kyivan Rus more than 1,000 years ago. — Susie Blann, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Equestrian shows, medieval and Renaissance re-enactments throughout the day. — Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2022 Joey King goes medieval in this rollicking 2022 action comedy/fairy tale mashup. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 26 June 2022 The architectural jetsam of millennia mixes here; ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque share space along narrow, curving lanes. — Maria Shollenbarger, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2022 The architecture is somewhere between modernist (there are two circular windows) and medieval, the building framed in front by a pair of giant old spruce trees. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 May 2022 In the 1600s of the earlier film, older customs and beliefs had been pushed into the margins by Christianity, but in this version of early medieval Northern Europe, that relationship is reversed. — New York Times, 21 Apr. 2022 One is the spectacle of modern bourgeois life in Paris, a city then recently transformed from a grimy medieval labyrinth into a glistening network of broad urban boulevards. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2022 In Lviv, local museum workers have built scaffolding around altarpieces in the city's medieval and Renaissance churches. — Cristina Florea, CNN, 4 Apr. 2022 This medieval or Gothic aesthetic could make the Romantics, in turn, hostile to the airless rationalism and classicism of the Enlightenment. — Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 18 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'medieval.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.