postmodern

adjective

post·​mod·​ern ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dərn 

nonstandard -ˈmä-d(ə-)rən

1

: of, relating to, or being an era after a modern one

postmodern times

a postmodern metropolis

2

a

: of, relating to, or being any of various movements in reaction to modernism that are typically characterized by a return to traditional materials and forms (as in architecture) or by ironic self-reference and absurdity (as in literature)

b

: of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or language

postmodern feminism

postmodernism

ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm 

noun

postmodernist

ˌpōs(t)-ˈmä-dər-nist 

adjective or noun

postmodernity

ˌpōs(t)-mə-ˈdər-ne-tē 

-mä-

also -ˈder-

noun

Examples of postmodern in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Oppenheimer finds the demand of this postmodern era is not going to workers, at least not primarily. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026

Habermas preferred to speak through newspaper essays—hundreds of them, on a multitude of topics, from postmodern architecture to genetic engineering. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

For Fröbe-Kapteyn, the fantasy led her to a fiercely complacent apoliticism in the face of the defining conflict of the postmodern era. —Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026

The result is a fascinating postmodern triumph. —Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for postmodern

• premodern
• modern