Definition

Noun: - The period of one hundred years from January 1, 1901, to December 31, 2000: This term refers to the specific chronological century in the Gregorian calendar, often characterized by major global events such as two world wars, the Cold War, rapid technological advancement, and significant social change.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The invention of the airplane was a defining moment of the twentieth century.
  • Many great novels were written during the twentieth century.
  • The political landscape of the twentieth century was shaped by ideologies like communism and fascism.

Advanced Usage

• "the turn of the twentieth century": Refers to the period around the year 1900, marking the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

  • Electric lighting became common in homes at the turn of the twentieth century.

• "mid-twentieth century": Refers to the period around the middle of the century, approximately the 1940s to 1960s.

  • Mid-twentieth century architecture often features clean, minimalist lines.

• "late twentieth century": Refers to the latter part of the century, approximately from the 1970s to the 1990s.

  • The rise of personal computers was a hallmark of the late twentieth century.

Variants and Related Words

• Twentieth (adj): Constituting number twenty in a sequence.
  • This is her twentieth birthday.
• Century (n): A period of one hundred years.
  • We are living in the twenty-first century.

Synonyms

• The 1900s: A common, less formal way to refer to the same period, though it can ambiguously refer to the years 1900-1999.
• The 20th century: The standard numerical designation.

Related Phrases

• Twentieth-century (adj): Used attributively to describe something from or characteristic of that period.
  • She is an expert in twentieth-century art history.
  • This is a twentieth-century philosophy.

Notes on Meaning

• The term "twentieth century" is strictly defined by its calendar dates (1901-2000). However, in popular and some historical usage, it is sometimes loosely associated with the entire period from 1900 to 1999, reflecting cultural and historical periods rather than strict chronology.
• It is often used as a historical period label to analyze trends in technology, politics, art, and society that occurred within those hundred years.

Noun

1. the century from 1901 to 2000