Standard Lemma guide

medieval

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌmɛd.iˈiː.vəl/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌmiː.diˈiː.vəl/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /mɪdˈiː.vəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /mɪdˈi.vəl/
  • General-American: /ˌmɛˈdi.vəl/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːvəl
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH0 D IY1 V AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: M IY0 D IY1 V AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 3: M IH0 D Y IY1 V AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or relating to the Middle Ages, the period from approximately 500 to 1500 AD.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages in popular, modern cultural perception:

Archaic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages in popular, modern cultural perception:

Brutal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Someone living in the Middle Ages.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A medieval example (of something aforementioned or understood from context).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Thank God for modern remedies: the medievals were often useless or even harmful.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

relating to or belonging to the Middle Ages

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Medieval scholars
  • Medieval times

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mediaeval

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

as if belonging to the Middle Ages; old-fashioned and unenlightened

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a medieval attitude toward dating

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mediaeval, gothic

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

characteristic of the time of chivalry and knighthood in the Middle Ages

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • chivalric rites
  • the knightly years

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chivalric, knightly

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French médiéval (“medieval”), from Latin medium (“middle”) + aevum (“age”).

Across languages

Translations

78 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Aragonese: meyebal — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Armenian: միջնադարյան (miǰnadaryan) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Asturian: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Bashkir: урта быуат (urta bıwat) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Belarusian: сярэдневяко́вы (sjarednjevjakóvy) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Breton: krennamzerel — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Bulgarian: средновеко́вен (srednovekóven) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Catalan: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中世紀的 /中世纪的 (zhōngshìjì de) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Czech: středověký — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Danish: middelalderlig — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Dutch: middeleeuws — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Dutch: (mediaevaal) mediëvaal — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Esperanto: mezepoka — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Estonian: keskaeg — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Finnish: keskiaikainen — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • French: médiéval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • West-Frisian: midsiuwsk — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Galician: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • German: mittelalterlich — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Greek: μεσαιωνικός (mesaionikós) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Hebrew: בֵּינַיְמִי (beináimi) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Hungarian: középkori — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Ido: mezepoka — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Irish: meánaoiseach — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Italian: medievale — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Japanese: 中世の (chūsei no) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Kazakh: ортағасырлық (ortağasyrlyq) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Korean: 중세의 (jungse'ui) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Latin: mediaevalis — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Macedonian: средновековен (srednovekoven) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Marathi: मध्ययुगीन (madhyayugīn) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Norwegian Bokmål: middelaldersk — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Norwegian Bokmål: middelalderlig — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Occitan: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Polish: średniowieczny — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Portuguese: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Romanian: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Russian: средневеко́вый (srednevekóvyj) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Serbo-Croatian: средњовѐко̄внӣ — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Serbo-Croatian: средњовјѐко̄внӣ — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Serbo-Croatian: srednjovèkōvnī — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Serbo-Croatian: srednjovjèkōvnī — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Slovak: stredoveký — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Slovene: srednjeveški — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Spanish: medieval — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Swedish: medeltida — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Tagalog: medyebal — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Tajik: асримиёнагӣ (asrimiyonagi) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Ukrainian: середньові́чний (serednʹovíčnyj) — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Vietnamese: trung cổ — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Welsh: canoloesol — of or relating to the Middle Ages
  • Armenian: միջնադարյան (miǰnadaryan) — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Danish: middelalderlig — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Dutch: middeleeuws — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Dutch: (mediaevaal) mediëvaal — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Finnish: keskiaikainen — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • French: médiéval — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • French: moyenâgeux — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Galician: medieval — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • German: mittelalterlich — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Greek: μεσαιωνικός (mesaionikós) — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Hungarian: középkorias — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Irish: meánaoiseach — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Portuguese: medieval — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Russian: средневеко́вый (srednevekóvyj) — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Swedish: medeltida — having characteristics associated with the Middle Ages
  • Dutch: middeleeuws — a medieval thing
  • French: médiéval — a medieval thing
  • German: mittelalterlich — a medieval thing
  • Greek: μεσαιωνικός (mesaionikós) — a medieval thing
  • Portuguese: medieval — a medieval thing
  • Spanish: medieval — a medieval thing
  • Dutch: middeleeuwer — someone living in the Middle Ages
  • French: médiéval — someone living in the Middle Ages
  • Greek: μεσαιωνικός (mesaionikós) — someone living in the Middle Ages
  • Portuguese: medieval — someone living in the Middle Ages
  • Swedish: medeltidsmänniska — someone living in the Middle Ages
Real reading context

medieval in complete knowledge articles