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 year brings a new wave of technology promising to solve everything at once, and the pressure to chase it is real. — Ashish Agarwal, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

The rise of indie brands has allowed a new wave of brilliant female founders to disrupt traditional markets and scale successful businesses on their own terms. — Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Pink reposted the video to her own Instagram story, which started a new wave of backlash from people criticizing her for seemingly being pro-Israel. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2026

The state has a new wave of makers who aren’t constrained by any one style or method. — Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 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