of or relating to present and recent time; contemporary.
Music and Dance, Literature, Fine Art of or relating to certain styles of art, literature, etc., that reject older, traditional forms:[before a noun]modern art.
using the latest techniques or ideas:a modern city with efficient subways.
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.
World Historyof or pertaining to the historical period following the Middle Ages:modern European history.
Music and Dance, Literature, Fine Artof, 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.
Linguistics(cap.) new (def. 12).
Printing[Typography.]noting or descriptive of a font of numerals in which the body aligns on the baseline, as 1234567890. Cf. old style (def. 3).
n.
a person of modern times.
a person whose views and tastes are modern.
[Print.]a type style differentiated from old style by heavy vertical strokes and straight serifs.
Late Latin modernus, equivalent. to Latin mod(o), mod(ō) lately, just now (origin, originally ablative singular of modusmode1) + -ernus adjective, adjectival suffix of time
Middle French moderne
1490–1500
mod′ern•ly, adv. mod′ern•ness, n.
1.See corresponding entry in UnabridgedModern,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, esp. 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.