postwar

adjective post·war \ ˈpōs(t)-ˌwär \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of postwar

: occurring or existing after a war; especially : occurring or existing after World War II

See postwar defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of postwar from the Web

The north saw major postwar infrastructure investment under hard-line former president Mahinda Rajapaksa — who was also responsible for crushing the Tigers.

— holly robertson, Washington Post, "From soldiers to housewives: Women who fought as Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka are forced into traditional roles," 7 June 2018
Steak Diane was a symbol of refinement and luxury in the postwar United States, and its capital was the Big Apple.

— charlotte druckman, WSJ, "Steak Diane: So Retro, So Right Now," 7 June 2018
The Hollywood blacklist is an ongoing theme of Muller’s backstories; not surprising, since the postwar era was noir’s heyday and its subject matter is by definition dark and often nihilistic.

— loren king, BostonGlobe.com, "The man who speaks film noir is on a mission," 31 May 2018
Oldenburg saw these spaces diminish during the postwar decades as residential areas—i.e., suburbs—became devoid of public gathering places and lives became more competitive and private.

— diana budds, Curbed, "It’s time to take back third places," 31 May 2018
His businesses passed into the hands of his daughter, Felicia Mosse, and her husband, Hans Lachmann-Mosse, who attempted to steer the Mosse empire through the spasms of the postwar economic collapse.

— berthold steinhilber, Smithsonian, "The Lost Maidens of Berlin," 24 May 2018
The growth from there was staggering; thanks to homogenous postwar tastes, Anheuser‐Busch churned out thirty‐seven million barrels of beer annually by the early 1960s.

— josh noel, chicagotribune.com, "How Goose Island sale to Anheuser-Busch changed craft beer; new book by Tribune beer writer Josh Noel," 9 May 2018
What emerges is Ondaatje’s own peculiar vision of World War II-era London and the postwar legacy, allowing us to glimpse personalities and draw connections that are not visible in history’s typical, midday light.

— veronica scott esposito, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Warlight,’ by Michael Ondaatje," 9 May 2018
Kagel, who died in 2008, was associated with Dada-ists and the Theater of the Absurd (along with more furrow-browed postwar modernists), especially in this 1973 piece.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Bowerbird's 2-man music contraption is a hot ticket for 4 remaining Philly shows," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'postwar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.