medieval

1 of 2

adjective

me·​di·​e·​val ˌmē-ˈdē-vəl How to pronounce medieval (audio)
mi-,
ˌme-,
-dē-ˈē-vəl How to pronounce medieval (audio)
variants or less commonly mediaeval
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Middle Ages
medieval history
medieval architecture
2
: having a quality (such as cruelty) associated with the Middle Ages
3
: extremely outmoded or antiquated
has medieval ideas about the role of women in our society
medievally adverb

medieval

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly mediaeval
: a person of the Middle Ages

Did you know?

With its roots medi-, meaning "middle", and ev-, meaning "age", medieval literally means "of the Middle Ages". In this case, middle means "between the Roman empire and the Renaissance"—that is, after the fall of the great Roman state and before the "rebirth" of culture that we call the Renaissance. This same period used to be called the "Dark Ages", since it was believed that in these years civilization all but vanished. And indeed, for most Europeans in these centuries, it was a time of poverty, famine, plague, and superstition, rather than the age of magic, dazzling swordplay, towering castles, and knights in splendid armor displayed in today's graphic novels and video games.

Examples of medieval in a Sentence

Adjective They're using a computer system that seems positively medieval by today's standards. get rid of that medieval kerosene stove—it stinks and it's dangerous
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
By the end, over 160 skeletons from the 16th and 17th centuries, or late medieval era, had been found. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The conceit is familiar: A handful of recent films (and TV shows) have given audiences royal women eagerly subverting the tropes of medieval romances. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 In costuming her, West used medieval references, particularly in her headdress. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 We’re treated to the main frame story and then to all these ones within, different stories set in Prague over the span of some four hundred years, from Cold War spy thrillers to a medieval B.D.S.M. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2024 That explosive red and brown palette was put in Polachek’s own melting pot of inspiration along with medieval silhouettes and textured, artisanal antiques. Alice Newbold, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024 Best actor winner Riz Ahmed voices a knight in a futuristic medieval world who's framed for murdering the queen. USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 Pace takes clear, infectious pleasure in such ephemeral moments, combing through bootlegs of live performances like an archivist looking for clues in a medieval manuscript. Owen Myers, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024 An ancient retaining wall of a medieval moat and the moat bed were also found, officials said in Dec. 15 and Jan. 7 Facebook posts. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
The site is considered one of the oldest medieval to early modern cemeteries in the city. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 On paper, the consort is the resident early music ensemble of the Folger Shakespeare Library, specializing in repertoire drawn from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2023 Horizon Forbidden West is set in a future where tribal societies with medieval (or worse) technology struggle to make progress hundreds of years after a catastrophe that ended our current civilization and forged in its place a world dominated by colossal mechanical menaces. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2023 The early medieval scribes responsible for producing the medical books of their age crafted powerful arguments about the respectability and piety of the doctor. Meg Leja, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023 The story is, after all, a study in mind-blowing landscapes: frigid wastelands and forests beyond the Wall, the amply-treed Kingsroad, turquoise waters across the Narrow Sea, and the sunny medieval King's Landing, to name a few. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2023 The film’s aesthetic fuses the medieval and the futuristic, mirroring the comic’s mix of magic and science. Laura Zornosa, Time, 30 June 2023 As long as Mississippi’s social and economic conditions, especially for Black and Hispanic residents, remain mired just this side of medieval, then its isolated effort to improve reading scores will be doomed to failure, and its statistical gains will look not much better than window-dressing. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2023 But within the larger narrative arc of Empires and Barbarians this was logical, the Slavs were far closer to the relevant action in terms of time and space than the Scandinavians who ravaged early medieval rather than post-Roman societies (where the latter bleeds into the former is up for debate). Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2010

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'medieval.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

New Latin medium aevum Middle Ages

First Known Use

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of medieval was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near medieval

Cite this Entry

“Medieval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medieval. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

medieval

adjective
me·​di·​eval
variants also mediaeval
ˌmēd-ē-ˈē-vəl,
ˌmed-;
mē-ˈdē-vəl,
med-ˈē-
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Middle Ages

More from Merriam-Webster on medieval

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