minimalism

noun

min·​i·​mal·​ism ˈmi-nə-mə-ˌli-zəm 

1

: a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity

2

: minimal art

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

In that sense, the album fits well with minimalism’s long history of producing nondenominational spiritual music. —Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026

Japanese pickling methods, such as nukazuke (fermentation in rice bran), emphasized minimalism and balance, reflecting the cultural values of harmony and simplicity. —Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026

Her refined minimalism captured a new kind of sophisticated woman and is still one of the most revered—and referenced—designer aesthetics to this day. —Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2026

Morocco is a place that doesn’t really do minimalism, at least in the traditional sense. —Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for minimalism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism