noun · 4 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
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Received-Pronunciation:/məˈdɜːnɪti/
General-American:/məˈdɝnɪti/
Mid-Atlantic, US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M AA0 D ER1 N AH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The quality of being modern or contemporary.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
He was impressed by the architecture's modernity.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Modern times.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The organization survived from ancient times to modernity.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Quality of being of the modern period of contemporary historiography.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: history, human-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the quality of being current or of the present
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a shopping mall would instill a spirit of modernity into this village
