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