Definition

Noun: * Modern times: The historical period immediately preceding the contemporary era, typically referring to the period from around the 16th to the early 20th century in a global context, characterized by significant developments in science, industry, and political thought.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Lịch sử cận đại của Việt Nam rất phức tạp. (The modern history of Vietnam is very complex.)
  • Đây là một phát minh quan trọng của thời kỳ cận đại. (This is an important invention of the modern era.)
  • Nhiều quốc gia châu Á được hình thành trong thời cận đại. (Many Asian nations were formed in modern times.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "cận đại" is primarily used in historical and academic contexts to classify periods. It is often contrasted with "trung đại" (medieval times) and "hiện đại" (contemporary era).
• It functions as a noun but is frequently used attributively (like an adjective) before other nouns, especially "lịch sử" (history) and "thời kỳ" (period/era).

Variants and Related Words

• Sử cận đại (n): Modern history (the academic discipline or a book about this period).
  • Giáo sư chuyên giảng dạy về sử cận đại. (The professor specializes in teaching modern history.)
• Thời cận đại (n): The modern era/period.
  • Các tư tưởng dân chủ nở rộ trong thời cận đại. (Democratic ideas flourished in the modern era.)

Different Meanings

• The word "cận" on its own means "near" or "close to," and "đại" means "era." Therefore, "cận đại" literally translates to "the era near [the present]," which accurately reflects its meaning as the period leading up to the contemporary age.

Synonyms

• Thời hiện đại (sơ kỳ): (Early) modern times. (Note: "Hiện đại" can sometimes overlap with or immediately follow "cận đại," depending on the periodization system used.)
• Thời kỳ cận kim: A less common, more literary synonym for the modern era.

Notes on Usage

• "Cận đại" is a fixed compound noun. It is not typically used in idioms or phrasal verbs.
• When translating into English, the most common and direct equivalent is "modern" when used attributively (e.g., modern history). As a standalone noun phrase, "modern times" or "the modern era" is used.

noun

1. Modern time
   • sử cận đại
     modern history