new wave

noun

variants often New Wave

1

: a cinematic movement that is characterized by improvisation, abstraction, and subjective symbolism and that often makes use of experimental photographic techniques

2

: a new movement in a particular field

3

: popular music less raw than punk rock and typically including unconventional melodies, exaggerated beats, and quirky lyrics

4

: dernier cri

especially : fashion that is strikingly outrageous

new-wave

ˈnü-ˈwāv 

ˈnyü-, 

-ˌwāv

adjective

new waver

ˈnü-ˈwā-vər 

ˈnyü-

noun

Examples of new wave in a Sentence

people who listened to punk, New Wave, or disco

Recent Examples on the Web

Every generation faces a new wave of technological disruption and responds with the same blend of overconfidence, short-termism, and reluctance to let go of what’s working. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026

This simply could not be… not Prince, the genius, larger-than-life singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who rebirthed pop music into a new sensuous funk-new wave-rock-soul musical form known to the world as the Minneapolis Sound. —Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Chillingly, a new wave of overdoses could be on the horizon. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026

Its rapid expansion reflects a broader transformation of Ukraine’s military, part of a new wave of formations, alongside the Third Army and Azov Corps, breaking with Soviet-era practices long criticized by soldiers. —ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for new wave

• agave
• behave
• concave
• conclave
• enclave
• engrave
• enslave
• forgave
• landgrave
• margrave
• shortwave
• aftershave