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

For the Osaka exhibition, the executive wanted a blend of tradition and modernity — plus new discoveries galore, all displayed in spectacular fashion. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 14 July 2025

For you and me in the comfort of modernity, nothing. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 12 July 2025

Hong Kong dazzles with its one-of-a-kind fusion of tradition and modernity. —John Wogan, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025

History and tradition feature prominently in their rhetoric but so do themes of modernity and cosmopolitanism. —H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 6 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for modernity

• eternity
• fraternity
• maternity
• paternity
• confraternity
• taciturnity