modernity

noun

mo·der·ni·ty | \ mə-ˈdər-nə-tē ,

mä- , -ˈder- \

Definition of modernity

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