modernism

noun

mod·​ern·​ism ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm 

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

modernist

ˈmä-dər-nist 

noun or adjective

modernistic

ˌmä-dər-ˈni-stik 

adjective

Examples of modernism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This kind of modernism was exemplified in the ideology of the French Revolution and in the liberal ambitions of the Italian Risorgimento, both of which were marked by virulent anticlericalism and both of which the Catholic Church experienced as existential traumas. —R. R. Reno, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2018

With its stark and unmistakable look, modernism remains a distinct juncture in the evolution of contemporary architecture, a formative period often associated with the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier. —Maya Chawla, Architectural Digest, 3 Oct. 2024

The result is one that combines excellence, modernism, and tradition. —Stéphane Jg Girod, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024

Stella’s tautological compositions shrugged off the categories of invention and aesthetic judgment that Fried hoped modernism would preserve. —Sarah K. Rich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing modernism

• hyper-modernism

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