20th-century
Post-Victorian, pre-millennial
Twentieth-century describes something belonging to or characteristic of the period from 1900 to 1999: 20th-century architecture, a 20th-century invention.
The hyphenated form functions as an adjective before a noun.
Without the hyphen, twentieth century serves as a noun phrase: The twentieth century saw unprecedented technological change.
State controls everything absolutely
- fascismUltranationalist dictatorial political system
- communismCollective ownership system
- socialismCommunal economic control
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
imperialism · colonialism · democracy · suffrage · apartheid · revolution · Soviet · Nazi
Transition to factory-based economy
- aviationFlying or operating aircraft
- automobileSelf-propelled passenger conveyance
- radioElectromagnetic wave receiver
- televisionBroadcast viewing device
nuclear · space-age · transistor · telephone · electrification · mechanization · mass-production · computing
Favoring contemporary approaches
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- cubismGeometric, fragmented visual style
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
Bauhaus · abstract · Dadaism · futurism · minimalism · impressionist · cinema · noir
Advocate of experimental forms
- vintageQuality from past eras
- retroEvoking recent past
- classicOf lasting excellence
- antiqueOld valued collectible
nostalgia · old-fashioned · traditional · analog · heritage · period · bygone · dated
Of recent times
- contemporaryOf the present age
- pre-warBefore a conflict
- post-warAfter military conflict ends
- interwarBetween major conflicts
fin-de-siècle · Edwardian · industrial · colonial · decolonization · Prohibition
totalitarianism
State controls everything absolutely
- fascismUltranationalist dictatorial political system
- communismCollective ownership system
- socialismCommunal economic control
nationalism · imperialism · colonialism · democracy · suffrage · apartheid · revolution · Soviet · Nazi · propaganda
industrialization
Transition to factory-based economy
- aviationFlying or operating aircraft
- automobileSelf-propelled passenger conveyance
- radioElectromagnetic wave receiver
television · nuclear · space-age · transistor · telephone · electrification · mechanization · mass-production · computing · rocketry
modernism
Favoring contemporary approaches
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- cubismGeometric, fragmented visual style
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
expressionism · Bauhaus · abstract · Dadaism · futurism · minimalism · impressionist · cinema · noir
modernist
Advocate of experimental forms
antique · nostalgia · old-fashioned · traditional · analog · heritage · period · bygone · dated · archival
modern
Of recent times
- contemporaryOf the present age
- pre-warBefore a conflict
- post-warAfter military conflict ends
interwar · fin-de-siècle · Edwardian · industrial · colonial · decolonization · Prohibition
20th-centuryancient
Very old indeed
medieval · prehistoric · antiquity · primordial · Stone Age
20th-centurypre-industrial
Before mass manufacturing emerged
pre-modern · post-digital · primitive · agrarian · horse-and-buggy
20th-centurycurrent
Directed flow of charge
present-day · up-to-date · state-of-the-art · today's · now