Phrase guide

short twentieth century

name · noun · 2 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: /ˈʃɔːt ˌtwɛn.(t)ɪ.əθ ˈsɛn.t͡ʃ(ʊ).ɹi/
  • Received-Pronunciation, dated: /-ɪθ-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈʃoɹt ˌtwɛn.(t)ɪ.əθ ˈsɛn.(t)ʃ(ə).ɹi/
  • rhymes with -ɛntʃʊɹiː
  • rhymes with -ɛntʃɹiː
  • rhymes with -ɛntʃəɹiː

1

name

Meaning 1

The period between 1914 and 1991, from the beginning of World War I to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: specifically

Topics: history, human-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any period of years defined by significant historical events falling within the 20th century (1 January 1901 to 31 December 2000).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: generally

Topics: history, human-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

The concept underlying the proper noun was developed by the Hungarian historian Iván Tibor Berend (born 1930), and the term itself was popularized by the British historian Eric Hobsbawm (1917–2012) in his book The Age of Extremes (1994). Like the corresponding terms long eighteenth century and long nineteenth century, it aims to define historical eras by significant events rather than by the arbitrary beginnings and ends of centuries. The common noun was probably derived from the proper noun.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سده بيستم كوتاه — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Belarusian: кароткае XX стагоддзе (karótkaje XX stahóddzje) — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Catalan: curt segle XX — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Czech: krátké 20. století — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Czech: kratší 20. století — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Dutch: korte twintigste eeuw — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Finnish: lyhyt 1900-luku — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Finnish: ensimmäisen maailmansodan ja Neuvostoliiton hajoamisen välinen aika — period between 1914 and 1991
  • French: court XXe siècle — period between 1914 and 1991
  • German: kurzes 20. Jahrhundert — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Irish: 20ú hAois Ghearr — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Japanese: 短い20世紀 (mijikai nijisseiki) — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Korean: 단기 20세기 (dan'gi 20segi) — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Macedonian: кра́ток XX век (krátok XX vek) — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Russian: коро́ткий XX век (korótkij XX vek) — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Spanish: corto siglo veinte — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Swedish: korta 1900-talet — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Ukrainian: коро́тке XX столі́ття (korótke XX stolíttja) — period between 1914 and 1991
  • Finnish: lyhyt 1900-luku — period of years defined by significant historical events falling within the 20th century