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

As usual, Harrison nimbly walks the line between authentic scares and postmodern humor, but Play Nice gives a little more ventilation to both. —Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

He is known for postmodern and apocalyptic novels. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025

Retaining this almost postmodern sentence might have prompted readers to interpret Karl’s mis-perception in exclusively psychological terms. —Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025

The film marks his second time grappling with the postmodern author’s ideas on screen, following 2014’s Inherent Vice, a rueful elegy to California counterculture, which was itself the first, and to date only, official adaptation of Pynchon in cinema. —Rory Doherty, Time, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for postmodern

• premodern
• modern