ˈnü-ˈwər(-ə)ld 
ˈnyü-
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the New World
Snatches and scraps of old-world philosophies and new-world ethics floated through his mind …—
Jack London
Jack LondonNew-world visitors accustomed to sedate, 55-mile-an-hour speed limits, lane discipline, and courtly driving may be genuinely astonished at old-world ways, especially when they're struggling with a stick shift on a hot summer day with no air-conditioning in the car.—Tony Rocca
Tony RoccaWe new-world settlers … brought the imagination of other countries to transplant it in a different geography.—Guy Davenport
Guy DavenportEven notes of honey can emerge with bottle age, and new-world examples of the wine made from ripe-picked grapes have exhibited aromas of fig and black raspberry jam.—John Winthrop Haeger
John Winthrop Haeger
Phrases
the New World
: the western hemisphere
especially
: the continental landmass of North and South America
It must therefore be inferred that the colonizers of the New World … numbered at least 900 individuals … —Johanna Nichols
compare old world
Johanna Nichols Examples of new-world in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Desai’s multipart meet-cute lets her challenge neat old-world–new-world dichotomies.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Dana Taylor, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Europe was connected to the New World primarily by ship.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for new-world
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
At a time of intensifying divisions at home, a depiction of Ecuador could offer an Edenic, new-world landscape free from the partisanship tainting Church’s New England landscapes.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Desai’s multipart meet-cute lets her challenge neat old-world–new-world dichotomies.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
So for instance, there's a type of what are called New World hantavirus, Western Hemisphere hantavirus, that's found in the American Southwest in places like New Mexico and Arizona, which was the one that affected Gene Hackman's wife.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Europe was connected to the New World primarily by ship.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for new-world
Cite this Entry
“New-world.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/new-world. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
