as in liberal
a person with very modern ideas
a time when Paris was the center of the universe for modernists in the art world
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Recent Examples of modernist
David A. Bell, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Often, modernists didn’t have a coherent vision of the body so much as a criticism of it.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Richard Neutra’s pioneering 1928 Jardinette Apartments, a hidden modernist landmark, has been rescued from decades of decay through a complex $5 million-plus restoration.
—Sam Lubell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The seven-bedroom, seven-bath home reflects his love for handcrafted materials and modernist influences, especially from Frank Lloyd Wright and Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
—Businessden, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
The neoclassical West Building is filled with European and American art through the early 20th century, and the modernist East Building is dedicated to modern and contemporary works.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
After being tucked away in a sprawling Upper East Side apartment for almost 60 years, a rare painting by Indian modernist Akbar Padamsee is going up for sale at Roland Auctions NY on March 28.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Our hotel [the Royal Continental Hotel Naples] was partly designed by the modernist architect Gio Ponti—including the fabrics, the beds, the sinks, and the crazy rooftop pool.
—Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Mar. 2026
Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Technically, Maiden Home’s Louis Sideboard was designed to be placed in a modernist dining room.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2026
According to the Providence Preservation Society, D'Agnillo worked with local architect Albert Harkness to design the company's new, modernist headquarters.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 22 Mar. 2026
Bulldozers and dynamite demolished the modernist mausoleum of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Throughout, artworks by Lawrence Weiner and Lee Ufan are paired with reproductions of important modernist furniture by the likes of Le Corbusier and Gerrit Rietveld.
—Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 21 Mar. 2026
Ensconced in the dense hardwoods of the Shenandoah Valley, these modernist timber cabins are designed entirely around a massive, wall-sized window, turning the forest into a 24-hour cinema where the plot is determined solely by the weather and the wildlife.
—The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
High-voltage accessories, like the bright green Pierced pumps from the brand and modernist silver earrings, bring these individual pieces together in a very contemporary way.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026
First presented to modernist pioneer Philip Johnson in 1979, the annual award has since honored many of the profession’s most influential figures, including the late Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
But Viollet-le-Duc was no modernist avant la lettre.
—David A. Bell, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Often, modernists didn’t have a coherent vision of the body so much as a criticism of it.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Richard Neutra’s pioneering 1928 Jardinette Apartments, a hidden modernist landmark, has been rescued from decades of decay through a complex $5 million-plus restoration.
—Sam Lubell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The seven-bedroom, seven-bath home reflects his love for handcrafted materials and modernist influences, especially from Frank Lloyd Wright and Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
—Businessden, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
The neoclassical West Building is filled with European and American art through the early 20th century, and the modernist East Building is dedicated to modern and contemporary works.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
After being tucked away in a sprawling Upper East Side apartment for almost 60 years, a rare painting by Indian modernist Akbar Padamsee is going up for sale at Roland Auctions NY on March 28.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Our hotel [the Royal Continental Hotel Naples] was partly designed by the modernist architect Gio Ponti—including the fabrics, the beds, the sinks, and the crazy rooftop pool.
—Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
In so doing, Bettina anticipated a shift from modernist objecthood to the procedural logics that would structure systems and digital- media art—yet retained a fundamentally modernist faith in the promise of spiritual insight through total abstraction.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Technically, Maiden Home’s Louis Sideboard was designed to be placed in a modernist dining room.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2026
According to the Providence Preservation Society, D'Agnillo worked with local architect Albert Harkness to design the company's new, modernist headquarters.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 22 Mar. 2026
Bulldozers and dynamite demolished the modernist mausoleum of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Throughout, artworks by Lawrence Weiner and Lee Ufan are paired with reproductions of important modernist furniture by the likes of Le Corbusier and Gerrit Rietveld.
—Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 21 Mar. 2026
Ensconced in the dense hardwoods of the Shenandoah Valley, these modernist timber cabins are designed entirely around a massive, wall-sized window, turning the forest into a 24-hour cinema where the plot is determined solely by the weather and the wildlife.
—The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
High-voltage accessories, like the bright green Pierced pumps from the brand and modernist silver earrings, bring these individual pieces together in a very contemporary way.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026
First presented to modernist pioneer Philip Johnson in 1979, the annual award has since honored many of the profession’s most influential figures, including the late Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernist
Noun
-
The bromide has it that a liberal is a person who won’t take his own side in an argument.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Her efforts to come to terms with polyamory are couched as a political project—part of being an open-minded liberal—as much as a romantic one.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But this modern approach is teamed with ancient medicinal practices and a holistic, full-circle philosophy.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Those are just some of the ways in which the three elements have become critical for modern manufacturing, including for defense.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Fidel Castro, either wanting to protect his family’s privacy or maintain the mystique of a revolutionary who only had time for his country, never publicly disclosed the family.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These nursery primers turned out to be the start of Tennyson’s lifetime immersion in contemporary science.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Actually, as Dyer shows, those near-contemporary newspaper articles were anything but definitive proof.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Vessel’s starkly sharp architecture — critics call it cold or even brutally modernistic — has drawn pushback in several affluent suburbs, but its supporters say opposition is often based on a reluctance to bring lower- to moderate-income people into upscale neighborhoods.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Jin’s modernistic work is unlike traditional jewels typically seen on tuxedo lapels — and perhaps that’s precisely why Brody enjoys wearing these artful pieces also seen with his look at the 2025 Oscars.—
Laurie Brookins,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Dubai is known as the business and tourism capital of the Middle East with its iconic, ultramodern skyscrapers, rising amid the desert and housing luxury hotels and residences for the superrich.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Along with the astonishing views of the Uinta Mountains, the Aspen Camp neighborhood inside the gates of the exclusive Promontory community captivates with a collection of ultramodern homes designed to immerse residents in Park City’s rugged beauty.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To survive the night, Mike has to get help from present-day Nick (also Vaughn) and Alice (Eiza Gonzalez), Nick's wife/Mike's girlfriend.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
They were followed in 1527 by Dominican missionaries, and eight years later a Portuguese port and trading center were established at Faifo (modern Hoi An), south of present-day Da Nang.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Arrizurieta said the area’s current problems stem from rising rents and the type of tenants that can afford to take up shop in the area — mainly, banks and other national powerhouses.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But the phrase can and should be applied to the current Iran war, at least insofar as the United States is concerned.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modernist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernist. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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