Postmodernism

The term postmodernism (according to the Latin etymology, postmodern literally means "after what is now") refers to a philosophical and cultural movement, the central premise of which is the rejection of all "metanarratives" (ways of thinking that unite knowledge and experience to seek to provide a definitive, universal truth).

There is also the term postmodernity. This term refers to a set of perceived (sociological, technological, &c.) conditions, which are distinctly different from the conditions of modernity. The discussion of postmodernity is the discussion of these conditions. Postmodernism is the intellectual (cultural, artistic, academic, and philosophical) response to these conditions.

And then there is the term postmodern, which is an adjective used to describe a thing that is either a condition of postmodernity or a response to postmodernity. Beyond this relationship, the term is meaningless in itself. But when combined with a condition or response, it is used to refer to a set of ideas which seek to interpret the condition or response. For example, one may refer to postmodern architecture, postmodern literature, postmodern culture, postmodern philosophy, &c. The fact that there is no one underlying meta-narrative for defining "postmodern", but that the definition is instead fragmented, makes it difficult for those not aware of this fragmentation to understand what it means to be "postmodern".