modernness

modernness — noun

1. the quality of reflecting current ideas, methods, or styles — of belonging to th

1.nounC1
Definition

the quality of reflecting current ideas, methods, or styles — of belonging to the present day rather than an earlier period.

Example

The modernness of the new library impressed visitors who remembered the old 1970s building.

the modernness of [noun phrase] — comparison across time

Some critics questioned the modernness of the art, calling it a copy of older styles.

Common collocations
  • modernness of the design
  • modernness of the building
  • question the modernness of
  • admire the modernness of
  • striking modernness
  • apparent modernness
Synonyms
  • modernity

    the standard formal term; far more frequent in writing

  • contemporaneity

    very formal and rare; stresses being exactly of the current moment

  • newness

    broader meaning — can refer to anything recently made, not necessarily modern in style

Antonyms
  • old-fashionedness

    the quality of belonging to an earlier style or period

  • datedness

    suggests something was once modern but no longer is

Grammar Patterns

the modernness of [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Much less common than the synonym "modernity." "Modernness" is preferred in everyday spoken contexts, while "modernity" dominates academic and formal writing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

"Modernity" and "modernness" both name the quality of being modern, but they differ sharply in frequency and register. "Modernity" is the dominant term in academic, philosophical, and art-historical contexts — a scholar writes about "the project of modernity," not "modernness." "Modernness" is rarer and feels slightly more informal, appearing in everyday speech or casual reviews ("the modernness of the apartment's design"). "Newness" is broader: a freshly baked loaf of bread has newness but not modernness. "Contemporaneity" is a very formal, technical synonym that stresses being exactly of the present moment; it is seldom used outside art criticism or sociology. Choose "modernity" for formal writing, "modernness" for casual description, and "newness" when the focus is on recency rather than style.

modernity ↗modernness ↗newness ↗contemporaneity ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • modernness of the design
  • modernness of the building

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the adjective "modern" (from Latin "modernus," meaning 'just now' or 'of the present time') plus the noun-forming suffix "-ness." First recorded in English in the early 1600s, though "modernity" (from French "modernité") has always been the more common form.