1. a number of related philosophical tendencies that developed in reaction to classical modernism during the late 20th century. Most postmodern positions reject traditional metaphysics for its pursuit of a reality independent of the world of lived experience, traditional epistemology for its pursuit of certain knowledge and objectivity, and traditional ethical theories because of their reliance on metaphysics and epistemology. More specifically, they see the ideal of objective truth that has been a guiding principle in the sciences and most other disciplines since the 17th century as basically flawed: There can be no such truth, only a plurality of “narratives” and “perspectives.” Postmodernism emphasizes the construction of knowledge and truth through discourse and lived experience, the similar construction of the self, and relativism in all questions of value. It is therefore a form of radical skepticism. See also poststructuralism.

2. in the arts, a general movement away from the tenets and practices of modernism that became apparent in the late 20th century. Postmodern culture is often held to be characterized by a free merging of genres and styles, a spirit of irony and pastiche, and a recognition of the importance of pop culture and the mass media. —postmodern adj.