— modernly , adv. — modernness , n.
/mod"euhrn/ , adj.
1. of or pertaining to present and recent time; not ancient or remote: modern city life.
2. characteristic of present and recent time; contemporary; not antiquated or obsolete: modern viewpoints.
3. of or pertaining to the historical period following the Middle Ages: modern European history.
4. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of contemporary styles of art, literature, music, etc., that reject traditionally accepted or sanctioned forms and emphasize individual experimentation and sensibility.
5. ( cap. ) new (def. 12).
6. Typography. noting or descriptive of a font of numerals in which the body aligns on the baseline, as 1234567890. Cf. old style (def. 3).
n.
7. a person of modern times.
8. a person whose views and tastes are modern.
9. Print. a type style differentiated from old style by heavy vertical strokes and straight serifs.
[ 1490-1500; moderne modernus, equiv. to L mod ( o ), mod ( o ) lately, just now (orig. abl. sing. of modus MODE 1 ) + -ernus adj. suffix of time ]
Syn. 1. MODERN, RECENT, LATE apply to that which is near to or characteristic of the present as contrasted with any other time. MODERN is applied to those things that exist in the present age, esp. in contrast to those of a former age or an age long past; hence the word sometimes has the connotation of up-to-date and, thus, good: modern ideas. That which is RECENT is separated from the present or the time of action by only a short interval; it is new, fresh, and novel: recent developments. LATE may mean nearest to the present moment: the late reports on the battle.