nouvelle vague

noun

nü-ˈvel-ˈväg How to pronounce nouvelle vague (audio)
1
: new wave sense 1
2
: new wave sense 2

Examples of nouvelle vague in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Black rollnecks now feel nouvelle vague; prairie dresses look all the more saccharine; blouses with eccentric necklines have their time to shine now that my hair isn't concealing the main event. — Georgia Murray, refinery29.com, 15 Apr. 2020 Throughout the ’50s, her appearance in risqué French films, some directed by then-husband Roger Vadim, endeared her to future giants of the nouvelle vague. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nouvelle vague was in 1959

Rhymes for nouvelle vague

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Browse Nearby Words

nouvelle cuisine
nouvelle vague
Nov
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Cite this Entry

“Nouvelle vague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nouvelle%20vague. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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