Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Late Latin
Origin: modernus, from Latin modo 'just now', from modus; MODE

modern

 adjective
     
mod‧ern S1 W1
1 [only before noun] belonging to the present time or most recent time [= contemporary]:
Such companies must change if they are to compete in the modern world.
They are the youngest children in modern times to face murder charges.
Smaller families are a feature of modern society.
Computers are an essential part of modern life.
a book about modern history
The original supermarkets were small by modern standards.
Modern Greek/Hebrew etc (=the form of the language used today)
2 made or done using the most recent designs or methods [= up-to-date]:
A lot of progress has been made with the use of modern technology.
advances in modern medicine
modern surgical techniques
3 [only before noun] modern art, music, literature etc uses styles that have been recently developed and are very different from traditional styles [= contemporary]:
an exhibition of modern art
modern dance
4 having very recent attitudes or ways of behaving [= progressive; ≠ traditional]:
The school is very modern in its approach to sex education.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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