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

Designer Jordane Arrivetz, also behind the look of beach club and restaurant Ciro's at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes, sought to preserve its historic soul while injecting the interiors with modernity. —Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026

Blending echoes of ancient times with modernity, some pair their historic costumes with sneakers and sunglasses and drink bubble tea. —ABC News, 30 May 2026

What might be most impressive is the technology, with two screens informing the modernity of the present era. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 29 May 2026

Pairing the horizontal slats on a teakwood frame with vertical cabana stripes is a lesson in modernity, and the Crate & Barrel Batten collection gets an A+. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for modernity

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