modernism
noun
mod·ern·ism
ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm 
1
: a practice, usage, or expression particular to the present time
… follows the rest of the [original] work more or less line by line, enlivening the language with modernisms and anachronisms of his own.—
Contemporary Authors
Contemporary Authors2
often Modernism
: 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
… extols the … modernism that laid the foundation of all twentieth-century design. —Jeffrey Simpson
Jeffrey Simpson Examples of modernism in a Sentence
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More to Explore In this environment, some activists and intellectuals adopted bikes as part of a resistance to car-centric capitalist modernism.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 5 Mar. 2026
Additionally, young architects in particular felt that modernism represented little more than an aesthetic language, and sought to create structures rooted in functionalism and monumental expression.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 2 Mar. 2026
But both play with a little breathing room between the gems, giving these designs a distinct sense of modernism and lightness.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2026
Arquitectonica excels at this kind of spirited, sculptural modernism, and the courts are a fine showcase for their abilities.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
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Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 5 Mar. 2026
Additionally, young architects in particular felt that modernism represented little more than an aesthetic language, and sought to create structures rooted in functionalism and monumental expression.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 2 Mar. 2026
But both play with a little breathing room between the gems, giving these designs a distinct sense of modernism and lightness.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2026
Arquitectonica excels at this kind of spirited, sculptural modernism, and the courts are a fine showcase for their abilities.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modernism. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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