Modish

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈməʊdɪʃ/

Definitions

1. Fashionable and following the current style or trend of the moment
2. Characterized by being up-to-date with modern trends and styles
3. Reflecting the latest popular fashions and design choices

Etymology: "Modish" is a plain formation: the noun "mode" (fashion, the prevailing style) with the suffix "-ish," which in English means "having the quality of" or "somewhat like." Put together, it describes whatever is in the current style. The suffix has an ancient pedigree, descending from a Proto-Indo-European root that passed through Proto-Germanic and Old English before reaching Middle English as "-isch," and it has been attached to all sorts of nouns and adjectives over the centuries, from "childish" to "greenish." The noun "mode" itself is the more interesting part of the story, since it entered English from Latin "modus," meaning measure, manner or way, and gradually narrowed to the sense of a customary style of dress or behaviour. Pairing that noun with "-ish" gave English a neat way to describe someone who follows the latest fashion without quite being a slave to it.

Synonyms: fashionable, stylish, trendy

Antonyms: unfashionable, outdated, old-fashioned