the middle ages

IPA/ðə ˌmɪdl ˈeɪdʒɪz/
IPA/ðə ˌmɪdl ˈeɪdʒɪz/

the middle ages — noun

1. the period of European history from around AD 1000 to AD 1500, marked by a socia

1.nounB1
Definition

the period of European history from around AD 1000 to AD 1500, marked by a social system in which kings, nobles, and the Church held most of the power and land

Example

In the Middle Ages, farmers gave a share of their crops to the local lord.

collocation: in the Middle Ages

Professor Okafor showed her students a map of trade routes from the Middle Ages.

Common collocations
  • the High Middle Ages
  • the late Middle Ages
  • medieval Europe
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

the Middle Ages

in/during the Middle Ages

Usage Note

The definite article 'the' is always required — never say 'in Middle Ages.' The adjective form is 'medieval' (e.g. 'medieval art'). This is the narrower sense (AD 1000–1500); see sense 2 for the broader range (AD 500–1500).

Common Mistakes

In Middle Ages, most people could not read.
In the Middle Ages, most people could not read.
The definite article 'the' must always be used.
I enjoy reading about the medieval.
I enjoy reading about the Middle Ages.
'Medieval' is an adjective, not a noun.

2. the whole period of European history from the end of Roman rule around AD 500 to

2.nounB1
Definition

the whole period of European history from the end of Roman rule around AD 500 to the beginning of the Renaissance around AD 1500, spanning roughly a thousand years

Example

The last Roman emperor in the West was overthrown in AD 476, and the Middle Ages began across Europe.

grammar: the Middle Ages + past tense for historical narrative

Salma's grandmother loved telling stories about knights and castles from the Middle Ages.

Common collocations
  • the early Middle Ages
  • the late Middle Ages
  • throughout the Middle Ages
Synonyms
  • the medieval era

    similar range; often used in formal writing

  • the Dark Ages

    refers only to the early part (roughly AD 500–1000), not the whole period

Grammar Patterns

the Middle Ages

Usage Note

This broader framing (AD 500–1500) includes the so-called 'Dark Ages' before AD 1000, unlike sense 1 which starts around AD 1000. Many historians now use 'the Middle Ages' in this wider sense.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The Middle Ages is the standard neutral term for the period in European history between antiquity and the Renaissance. Medieval times is a less formal alternative often heard in everyday conversation. The Dark Ages, by contrast, refers specifically to the early part of the Middle Ages (roughly AD 500–1000), when fewer written records survive; it carries a negative connotation that many historians now avoid. Use the Middle Ages for the whole period and reserve the Dark Ages only when you mean those early centuries. For example: 'She studies the Middle Ages' (the whole period) versus 'Literacy declined sharply during the Dark Ages' (the early centuries only).

the Dark Ages ↗medieval timesthe Middle Ages ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the High Middle Ages
  • the late Middle Ages
  • the early Middle Ages

Phrases

  • medieval Europe
  • medieval history
  • medieval times

Prepositions

  • in the Middle Ages
  • during the Middle Ages
  • throughout the Middle Ages

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The term comes from the Latin medium aevum, meaning 'the middle age.' Renaissance thinkers coined it to describe the period that fell between the brilliance of classical antiquity and the rebirth of learning in their own time. The phrase entered English in the early 17th century and became widely used by the 19th century.