modernism

noun mod·ern·ism \ ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Definition of modernism

1 : a practice, usage, or expression peculiar to modern times

such modernisms as "blog," "bromance," and "steampunk"

2 often capitalized : 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

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modernist

play \-nist\ noun or adjective

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modernistic

play \ˌmä-dər-ˈnis-tik\ adjective

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Recent Examples of modernism from the Web

These colors refer back to the era of high modernism, the 1960s and 1970s.

— nadja sayej, Teen Vogue, "Artist Sara Cwynar on Perceptions of Beauty," 26 June 2018
Philadelphia artists as a group often feel a bit marginalized by the Art Museum, but this show makes an impressive case for Philadelphia modernism, including such artists as Arthur B. Carles, Benton Spruance, and the brilliant Morton Schamberg.

— thomas hine, Philly.com, "Art Museum show gives American Modernists - and Philly ones - new respect," 12 Apr. 2018
Adjaye, who collaborated on the project with the Freelon Group, Davis Brody Bond and SmithGroupJJR, practices a different kind of modernism than the abstract steel-and-glass boxes of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

— blair kamin, chicagotribune.com, "The national African-American museum still stirs the soul — and drops hints of what to expect at the Obama Presidential Center," 11 July 2018
Eric Trine of Amigo Modern specializes in bringing the spirit of American modernism into the 21st century.

— madeleine luckel, Vogue, "16 of the Most Innovative Furniture Designers Who Manufacture in the U.S.," 4 July 2018
For the first time in 30 years, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest’s gift of 27 significant works of modernism created by artists from the region will be shown together in the same gallery.

— stephan salisbury, Philly.com, "What to see in Philadelphia's museums this summer," 6 June 2018
Anchoring the work are the re-creations of Vaslav Nijinsky’s dancing and choreographic milestones, all of which both absorbed the 19th century’s classical style and foreshadowed the modernism that prevailed for most of the 20th century.

— allan ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "As S.F. Ballet readies for festival, Canadian company gives its all in ‘Nijinsky’," 4 Apr. 2018
Featuring a foreword by Los Angeles fashion designer Trina Turk, whose Palm Springs home, the Ship of the Desert, is also showcased, the inspiring coffee table tome is a love letter to modernism.

— bonnie mccarthy, latimes.com, "'Palm Springs: A Modernist Paradise': A love letter to modernism," 9 Feb. 2018
The story of modernism’s debt to non-Western, folk and tribal art is complex and only getting more so.

— roberta smith and martha schwendener, New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," 10 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'modernism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.