modernism
noun
mod·ern·ism
ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm 
1
: a practice, usage, or expression particular to the present time
… follows the rest of the [original] work more or less line by line, enlivening the language with modernisms and anachronisms of his own.—
Contemporary Authors
Contemporary Authors2
often Modernism
: a tendency in theology to accommodate traditional religious teaching to contemporary thought and especially to devalue supernatural elements
3
: modern artistic or literary philosophy and practice
especially
: a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression
… extols the … modernism that laid the foundation of all twentieth-century design. —Jeffrey Simpson
Jeffrey Simpson Examples of modernism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The gallery cleverly positioned him as a historical anchor for Cypriot modernism contrasting his landscapes with contemporary Cypriot artists in the same booth.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Rooms The interiors at Ipanema Inn evoke Brazilian modernism.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
When Sotheby’s moved into the Breuer building last year, the auction house inherited more than just a famous slab of Marcel Breuer modernism on Madison Avenue.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026
In the past couple of decades, however, Czernowin has deëmphasized the frantic gesturing that characterizes so much latter-day modernism.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
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Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Rooms The interiors at Ipanema Inn evoke Brazilian modernism.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
When Sotheby’s moved into the Breuer building last year, the auction house inherited more than just a famous slab of Marcel Breuer modernism on Madison Avenue.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026
In the past couple of decades, however, Czernowin has deëmphasized the frantic gesturing that characterizes so much latter-day modernism.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modernism. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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