medievalism

noun

me·​di·​e·​val·​ism ˌmē-ˈdē-və-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce medievalism (audio)
mi-,
ˌme-,
-dē-ˈē-və-
1
: medieval quality, character, or state
2
: devotion to the institutions, arts, and practices of the Middle Ages

Examples of medievalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Only now, youthful imaginations seem to be informed by the worlds of gaming, mysticism, and medievalism—spaces which include celebrating disabled people, senior heroes, spiritual icons, shamans, druids, and the magic of fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood. Sarah Mower, Vogue, 25 May 2022 One of the things that’s especially interesting about contemporary medievalism is that movies and TV shows will often film real medieval art or in real medieval locations. Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2022 Putting one on the sleek, black rectangle of your iPhone thus concocts a syrupy mélange of lithe modernism and ascetic medievalism. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2019 Endor is an appealingly weird mix of medievalism and science fiction, presided over by an imperious headmistress voiced by Kate Winslet. A. O. Scott, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2018 The white supremacists who gathered in Charlottesville wore their medievalism on their sleeves. Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, 15 Aug. 2017 In fact, there’s a whole area of study called medievalism, which specifically examines depictions of the Middle Ages in any post-medieval pop culture, like Shakespeare's history plays. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 14 July 2017 At the International Medieval Congress, a top annual conference, the number of sessions on medievalism grew from 7 in 2006 to 27 in 2017. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 14 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'medievalism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of medievalism was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near medievalism

Cite this Entry

“Medievalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medievalism. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!