metamodernism means A movement combining elements of modernism and postmodernism. It carries an Arena rating of 1221, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, metamodernism ranks #6,101 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #6,126 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #6,662 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,849 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “metamodernism” is a great word
A cultural, philosophical, and artistic movement characterized by the oscillation between, and integration of, modernist idealism and postmodernist irony. From the Greek prefix meta- ("beyond, between, with") + modernism; coined in 2010 by Dutch cultural theorists Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker. Unlike postmodernism, which deconstructs with definitive irony, or modernism, which builds upon foundational sincerity, metamodernism consciously navigates the space between. It is the earnest protest song that admits its own naivety yet is sung with full-throated conviction, the architect who designs a soaring spire while calculating its eventual decay, and the act of planting a tree while fully expecting a future you will never see. Its hope is a structured wager against the void, a warmth kindled for the sincerity of the shared glow.
Etymology
From meta- + modernism, introduced in 2010 by Dutch cultural theorists Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker.
noun
- A movement combining elements of modernism and postmodernism.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- metamodern 80% match — Of or relating to metamodernism. vs metamodernism →
- metamodernist 78% match — Of or relating to metamodernism. vs metamodernism →
- remodernism 67% match — A movement aiming to revive aspects of modernism, in response to postmodernism, which is viewed as cynical and spiritually bankrupt. vs metamodernism →
- anamodernism 64% match — A philosophical movement of 21st century occupied with the questions of contemporaneity and after post-modernity vs metamodernism →
- protomodernism 61% match — A protomodern style. vs metamodernism →
- postmodernization 61% match — The act or process of postmodernizing. vs metamodernism →
- modernism 61% match — Modern or contemporary ideas, thought, practices, etc. vs metamodernism →
- postmodernism 59% match — Any style in art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that reacts against an earlier modernist movement. vs metamodernism →