modernity

noun

mo·​der·​ni·​ty mə-ˈdər-nə-tē 

mä-,

-ˈder- 

1

: the quality or state of being or appearing to be modern

Such details as street lamps, telephone booths, mailboxes and manhole covers have been expensively recreated to recall a past that makes even young Hungarians nostalgic and Western tourists regret the flashy modernity of their cities.

—Henry Kamm

His early work portrayed the idiosyncratic behavior of his zany upper-class family whose wealth and quest for modernity impelled them to try out all the latest inventions and devices of the time, from electric razors to automobiles to flying machines.

—Naomi Rosenblum

2

: the modern era or world and especially the ideas and attitudes associated with the modern world

For all his conservatism, Henry Adams's encounter with modernity led neither to romantic antiquarianism … nor to an intensified commitment to those very liberal arts that were under siege in a market society.

—Peter N. Miller

Examples of modernity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Set in the majestic French Pyrenees, the film addresses the battle between heritage and modernity as the reintroduction of brown bears collides head first with a traditional shepherding community. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024

The Veil stands as an emblem of a new architectural approach – one that reflects both heritage and modernity. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2024

Beneath its gloss of modernity, the Zionist state—not Palestine—is the anachronism. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 30 Oct. 2024

Apple refined the original’s charming design and revamped its entire feature set with welcome modernities like two-way USB-C charging and lossless audio. —Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1