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

2

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

modernist

ˈmä-dər-nist 

noun or adjective

modernistic

ˌmä-dər-ˈni-stik 

adjective

Examples of modernism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The house is considered an important example of desert modernism. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026

Instead, Stierli believes, modernism was a powerful political weapon, so versatile and mutable that it could be turned against its creators. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026

The story of the relationships among these artists, in particular between the older Avery and the now–stratospherically famous Rothko, shows us American modernism in its moment of greatest transition. — Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

The Museum of Modern Art in New York will stage a major exhibition examining mid-century modernism in Africa next year. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing modernism

• hyper-modernism

Rhymes for modernism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• sophism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism

Kids Definition

modernism

noun

mod·​ern·​ism ˈmäd-ər-ˌniz-əm 

: a modern custom, expression, style, or idea

modernist

-nəst 

noun or adjective

modernistic

ˌmäd-ər-ˈnis-tik 

adjective