Main Entry: mod·ern·ism

Pronunciation: \ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm\

Function: noun

Date: 1737

1 : a practice, usage, or expression peculiar to modern times
2 often capitalized : 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

— mod·ern·ist \-nist\ noun or adjective

— mod·ern·is·tic \ˌmä-dər-ˈnis-tik\ adjective