minimalism
noun
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In the 1960s, a few composers, including Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and John Adams, began writing music inspired by the music of India and Southeast Asia, often with a quick pulsing beat and chords that are repeated quickly over and over while small changes are slowly introduced. Minimalist art, which began appearing around the same time, tries to strip away all personal elements, often leaving only pure geometric forms; you may have seen the plain silver boxes of Donald Judd, or the straight neon tubes of Bruce Nauman. In literature, the stripped-down fiction of Samuel Beckett and Raymond Carver is often considered minimalist. But there's a real question whether these various types of minimalism should even be considered the same concept.
Examples of minimalism in a Sentence
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Anne Hathaway managed to mix basics in a way that made minimalism loud again, combining leopard print and bright white to create an ensemble that’s eye-catching without leaning too far into a particular trend.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2026
Stripped of the extra buttons, buckles, and belts that define a classic trench, the car coat is all about restraint and minimalism.
—Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2026
For more than 50 years, Tomkins completed dispatches from the transformative art scene of the 1960s and beyond, whether individuals such as Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg or such movements as pop art, conceptual art and minimalism.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Minimalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimalism. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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