modern

[mod-ern] /ˈmɒd ərn/

adjective

of or pertaining to present and recent time; not ancient or remote:

modern city life.

characteristic of present and recent time; contemporary; not antiquated or obsolete:

modern viewpoints.

of or pertaining to the historical period following the Middle Ages:

modern European history.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of contemporary styles of art, literature, music, etc., that reject traditionally accepted or sanctioned forms and emphasize individual experimentation and sensibility.

(initial capital letter) new (def 12).

Typography. noting or descriptive of a font of numerals in which the body aligns on the baseline, as 1234567890.

Compare old style (def 3).

noun

a person of modern times.

a person whose views and tastes are modern.

Printing. a type style differentiated from old style by heavy vertical strokes and straight serifs.

Origin

1490-1500; < Middle French moderne < Late Latin modernus, equivalent to Latin mod(o), mod(ō) lately, just now (orig. ablative singular of modus mode¹) + -ernus adj. suffix of time

Related forms

modernly, adverb

modernness, noun

antimodern, adjective, noun

antimodernly, adverb

antimodernness, noun

hypermodern, adjective

nonmodern, adjective, noun

nonmodernly, adverb

nonmodernness, noun

premodern, adjective

promodern, adjective

pseudomodern, adjective

quasi-modern, adjective

supermodern, adjective

unmodern, adjective

Synonyms

1. Modern, recent, late apply to that which is near to or characteristic of the present as contrasted with any other time. Modern is applied to those things that exist in the present age, especially in contrast to those of a former age or an age long past; hence the word sometimes has the connotation of up-to-date and, thus, good: modern ideas. That which is recent is separated from the present or the time of action by only a short interval; it is new, fresh, and novel: recent developments. Late may mean nearest to the present moment: the late reports on the battle.

Examples from the web for modern

But these examples date from well before the modern age of publicity and euphemism.
If only his thoughts about the modern world were equally grounded in fact.
Between medieval and modern, Oxford seeks equilibrium.
But that also seems like a ridiculously obvious use of modern technology.
That is no longer an issue, thanks to modern semiconductor controls.
This was modern art, all right, and it wasn't so bad.
I'm hoping to portray some modern urban life by using its vintage counterpart.
But modern humans might yet undo what our ancestors started.
This level of aesthetic completeness is rarely seen in any modern appliance, let alone a computer.
The foreign sources of modern English versification.

British Dictionary definitions for modern

modern

/ˈmɒdən/

adjective

of, involving, or befitting the present or a recent time; contemporary

of, relating to, or characteristic of contemporary styles or schools of art, literature, music, etc, esp those of an experimental kind

belonging or relating to the period in history from the end of the Middle Ages to the present

noun

a contemporary person

(printing) a type style that originated around the beginning of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by marked contrast between thick and thin strokes Compare old face

Derived Forms

modernly, adverb
modernness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Old French, from Late Latin modernus, from modō (adv) just recently, from modusmode

Word Origin and History for modern

adj.

c.1500, "now existing;" 1580s, "of or pertaining to present or recent times;" from Middle French moderne (15c.) and directly from Late Latin modernus "modern" (Priscian, Cassiodorus), from Latin modo "just now, in a (certain) manner," from modo (adv.) "to the measure," ablative of modus "manner, measure" (see mode (n.1)). Extended form modern-day attested from 1909.

In Shakespeare, often with a sense of "every-day, ordinary, commonplace." Slang abbreviation mod first attested 1960. Modern art is from 1807 (by contrast to ancient); modern dance first attested 1912; first record of modern jazz is from 1954. Modern conveniences first recorded 1926.

1580s, "person of the present time" (contrasted to ancient, from modern (adj.). From 1897 as "one who is up to date."