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

Here are the six nightly tasks to follow, from practicing minimalism to keep your home tidy on a regular basis. — Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 24 Sep. 2026

Designers showed their Spring/Summer 2027 collections, emphasizing minimalism, transparency, bursts of lime and marigold and warm-weather silhouettes like culotte and capri bottoms. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026

Calvin Klein wrote the playbook on a form of minimalism that other designers like the Row, Khaite and Toteme arguably do better now, reducing the brand to a reference on Carolyn Bassette-Kennedy moodboards. — Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

But Volvo seems to have confused minimalism with elimination. — New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for minimalism

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