new age
C1Semi-technical; common in cultural, spiritual, lifestyle, and journalistic contexts. Can be used neutrally or pejoratively.
Definition
Meaning
A broad movement of late 20th and 21st-century spiritual, philosophical, and lifestyle beliefs and practices characterized by an emphasis on personal spiritual experience, holistic health, and alternative approaches to religion, science, and medicine.
Used as an adjective to describe anything associated with this movement (e.g., new age music, new age philosophy) or, more generally, to describe anything perceived as modern, unconventional, or associated with progressive spiritual ideas, sometimes with a critical connotation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a proper noun, 'New Age' refers to the specific cultural movement. As a common noun phrase, it can be used more loosely. The adjectival form ('new-age', often hyphenated) is more frequent than the nominal form. Connotations range from neutral/descriptive to dismissive, suggesting vagueness, faddishness, or unscientific beliefs.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is very similar in both varieties. The hyphenation in the adjectival form ('new-age') is slightly more common in BrE, while AmE may use open compound ('new age') as an adjective more often.
Connotations
Similar skeptical or pejorative connotations exist in both. The term is well-established in both cultures due to the global nature of the movement.
Frequency
Comparable frequency; perhaps slightly higher in AmE due to the movement's strong historical roots in California.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[ADJ] new-age [NOUN]the New Age (as a noun phrase)be/become/sound new-ageVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “That's a bit new-age for my taste.”
- “He's gone full new age.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in specific sectors like 'wellness', 'alternative medicine', or 'lifestyle retail'. Might be used in marketing: 'catering to the new-age consumer'.
Academic
Used in religious studies, sociology, and cultural studies to label the specific movement. Often placed in quotation marks to indicate its status as a contested label.
Everyday
Common to describe music, shops, or people's beliefs. Often used with a slight eye-roll: 'She's into all that new-age stuff.'
Technical
In musicology, a defined genre (instrumental, atmospheric). In religious studies, a defined category of new religious movements/spirituality.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A - Not used as a verb.
American English
- N/A - Not used as a verb.
adverb
British English
- N/A - Not standardly used as an adverb.
American English
- N/A - Not standardly used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- The festival had a distinctly new-age vibe with its meditation tents and crystal stalls.
- He dismissed the theory as new-age pseudoscience.
American English
- She runs a new age bookstore in Santa Fe.
- The consultant's advice sounded a bit too new age for the corporate board.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She likes listening to new age music to relax.
- The shop sells new-age books and incense.
- Some people criticise new-age beliefs as being unscientific and vague.
- The retreat combined yoga with new-age philosophy.
- The New Age movement draws eclectically from Eastern spirituality, Western esotericism, and environmentalism.
- His management style has been derided by colleagues as incorporating too many new-age principles.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a NEW calendar AGE where people focus on crystals, yoga, and ambient music instead of traditional routines.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPIRITUALITY IS A NEW HISTORICAL PERIOD (replacing the old age of organized religion).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводите буквально как "новый возраст". Это не о возрасте человека.
- Избегайте "новая эра" (это 'new era'), если контекст не исторический/геологический.
- Лучший перевод — устоявшийся термин "нью-эйдж" или описательный: 'движение нью-эйдж', 'нью-эйдж духовность'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a countable noun (*'a new age' for the movement).
- Confusing 'New Age' (movement) with 'new era' (any new period in history).
- Incorrect hyphenation: 'newage' (no space) is wrong.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'New Age' most likely to be used neutrally or technically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When referring specifically to the cultural/spiritual movement as a proper noun, it is often capitalized ('the New Age'). When used as a general descriptive adjective, it is usually lowercased ('new-age music').
Very rarely and usually only in poetic or metaphorical contexts (e.g., 'a new age of technology'). In contemporary usage, it is overwhelmingly associated with the spiritual movement. For 'modern', use 'new era' or 'modern age' instead.
It depends on context and speaker. Adherents may use it neutrally or positively. Sceptics and critics use it pejoratively to imply naivety, faddishness, or lack of rigour. The tone is often signaled by accompanying words ('so-called', 'airy-fairy', 'pseudoscientific').
'New Age' refers to a specific set of historical movements and practices (crystals, channelling, specific music genre). 'Spiritual but not religious' (SBNR) is a much broader, more modern self-identification that may include people who distance themselves from organised religion but do not necessarily subscribe to classic New Age beliefs.