modern-day

IPA/ˌmɒdn ˈdeɪ/
IPA/ˌmɑːdərn ˈdeɪ/

modern-day — adjective

1. describing someone or something that belongs to the current period of history, r

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing someone or something that belongs to the current period of history, rather than to an earlier age

Example

Sora compared the challenges of modern‑day farming with those his grandparents faced.

collocation: modern‑day farming

This film is a modern‑day take on a classic novel set in 19th‑century France.

collocation: modern‑day take on [something]

Common collocations
  • modern-day version
  • modern-day equivalent
  • modern-day life
  • modern-day society
  • modern-day world
  • modern-day technology
  • modern-day farming
  • modern-day parenting
  • modern-day adaptation
  • modern-day explorer
  • modern-day hero
  • modern-day challenges
Synonyms
  • present-day

    interchangeable in most contexts, though 'present-day' sounds slightly more formal

  • contemporary

    broader — can mean 'from the same time' (not necessarily now) or 'modern in style'

  • current

    focuses more on the immediate present, often with a sense of temporary relevance

  • modern

    covers a wider time span; 'modern-day' adds emphasis on 'of right now' versus 'of the past'

Antonyms
  • historical

    describes people or things belonging to or set in the past

  • old-fashioned

    implies something belongs to an earlier era and is no longer typical

  • ancient

    refers to a very distant past, often before the Middle Ages

Grammar Patterns

modern-day + noun

Usage Note

Unlike ordinary adjectives, modern‑day cannot be used after a linking verb (e.g. 'This technology is modern‑day' is incorrect). It must directly precede the noun it modifies.

Common Mistakes

The city is very modern‑day.
The city is a modern‑day marvel.
'modern‑day' is attributive only and must be placed before a noun.
Modern‑day the education system faces many problems.
The modern‑day education system faces many problems.
the article must come before 'modern‑day'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five adjectives relate to the present, but they differ in scope and emphasis. 'Modern-day' and 'present-day' are the closest pair — both contrast the current period with a historical one, and both are almost always attributive (used before a noun). 'Contemporary' is broader: it can mean 'from the same time' (not necessarily now) or 'stylishly modern.' 'Current' focuses on the immediate now, often with a sense that the situation could change (e.g. 'current prices'). 'Modern' covers the longest stretch — it can refer to anything from the Renaissance onward, depending on context. For example, 'a modern-day explorer' suggests someone doing in the 2020s what explorers did in the 1500s, whereas 'a modern explorer' could mean someone who simply uses recent techniques.

modern-day ↗present-daycontemporary ↗current ↗modern ↗

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Modern-day' is a compound adjective formed by combining 'modern' (from late Latin 'modernus', from 'modo' meaning 'just now') with 'day' (from Old English 'dæg', meaning a 24-hour period or daylight hours). The compound first appeared in the late 19th century as a way of explicitly distinguishing present times from historical ones, adding emphasis beyond what the simple word 'modern' alone conveys.