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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The scheme allows floodwaters to pass underneath while still maintaining a strong flow between interior and exterior spaces—a hallmark of the firm’s site-responsive style of tropical modernism.
—Fred Albert, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Max Hollein, the Met’s director, told the Times that his museum’s collection does not have deep holdings of Austrian and German modernism from the turn of the 20th century, and the merger was one way to help change that.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Mollino, who became famous for blending surrealism, engineering, and sensual Italian modernism into his work, designed the property to feel almost suspended in nature.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 May 2026
This area is a blend of cutting-edge modernism and historic industrial buildings.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 May 2026
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Fred Albert, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Max Hollein, the Met’s director, told the Times that his museum’s collection does not have deep holdings of Austrian and German modernism from the turn of the 20th century, and the merger was one way to help change that.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Mollino, who became famous for blending surrealism, engineering, and sensual Italian modernism into his work, designed the property to feel almost suspended in nature.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 May 2026
This area is a blend of cutting-edge modernism and historic industrial buildings.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 May 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 17 May. 2026.
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