/ˌpoʊsˈtmɑdɚn/
Say it backPostmodern describes a broad cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that challenges grand narratives and embraces relativism, plurality, and intertextuality. It often subverts traditional forms and questions objective truth, emphasizing context, ambiguity, and the instability of meaning. The term typically appears in discussions of literature, art, philosophy, and criticism from the late 20th century onward.
"The exhibit showcased postmodern approaches to storytelling, blending media and genres."
"Scholars debated postmodern critiques of modernism and its search for universal meaning."
"Her postmodern novel references earlier works, pastiches styles, and self-referential cues."
Pronounce as poʊstˈmoʊ.dɜːrn in US English, with stress on the second syllable: post-MO-dern. In IPA: US: poʊstˈmoʊdɚn. UK: pəʊstˈmɒdən, US/UK/AU share the main stress on the second syllable, but vowel qualities differ. Focus on clarity of the /t/ and the final schwa-like /ɚ/ or /ə/ depending on accent.
Common errors: flattening the second syllable, saying post-MO-den instead of post-MO-dern; misplacing the /t/ leading to a pause after po-; losing the /d/ or eliding it in fast speech. Correction: enunciate the /t/ as a clean voiceless stop, keep the /d/ as a distinct voiced stop before the syllabic -ern, and ensure the final -ern phrase has a clear schwa or r-colored vowel depending on accent.
US tends to the rhotic /ɚn/ ending with a rhotic schwa; UK often has non-rhotic /ən/ or /dən/ depending on region, with shorter vowels in the first syllable and tighter /ɒ/ in the second. Australian typically rhymes the final -dern with a broad /ən/ or /ɜːn/ and a reduced middle vowel. Focus on /moʊ/ vs /moʊ/ and the presence or absence of r-coloring in final syllable.
It blends two multisyllabic parts with similar vowels and a tense /t/ followed by /m/ and /d/ clusters. The key challenge is maintaining distinct syllables in fast speech and the subtle /oʊ/ in both 'post' and 'modern', plus a clear final /ən/ or /ɜːrn/. Practice slow, then speed up while preserving syllable integrity and the secondary stress on the second syllable.
Yes, the transition from /st/ in 'post' to /moʊd/ in 'modern' can blur when spoken quickly. Ensure a brief release on /t/ then a smooth glide into /moʊ/; avoid merging /stmo/ into a single digraph. Emphasize the second syllable without diluting the final -dern, especially in non-rhotic accents where the final r may be muted.
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The term postmodern emerged in the early to mid-20th century as a self-conscious reaction against modernism. It fuses the prefix post- (after, behind, in response to) with modern, indicating a movement that comes after or critiques modernist ideals. In philosophy and literary criticism, it gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s through thinkers like Lyotard, Derrida, and Foucault, who questioned the existence of universal narratives and fixed meanings. The first widely cited uses in English appeared in scholarly and critical texts to describe architecture and theory that abandoned the idea of progress as linear and absolute. Over time, postmodernism broadened to cover art, film, music, and popular culture, often characterized by pastiche, irony, intertextuality, and skepticism toward grand narratives. The word has since become a stable adjective and noun, used to denote movements and tendencies that resist straightforward interpretation. Its contemporary sense often implicates media-saturated, hyper-referential, and fragmentary forms of culture that highlight contingency and multiple viewpoints.
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Words that rhyme with "postmodern"
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