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
Recent Examples on the Web
In Schjerfbeck’s homemade modernism, subject, color, and space all tend toward the minimal.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Widely regarded as one of the country’s finest examples of mid-century modernism, the Miller House was completed in 1957.
—Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
Having co-founded Random House in 1927 Cerf was largely responsible for bringing modernism to the masses, putting the likes of Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, and William Faulkner in front of millions of American readers.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Its works not only suggest strategies for housing the destitute but also convey an understanding of the forces (authoritarianism, corporate greed, systemic racism, and the co-option of modernism) that have conspired against São Paulo—and Los Angeles.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
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Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Widely regarded as one of the country’s finest examples of mid-century modernism, the Miller House was completed in 1957.
—Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
Having co-founded Random House in 1927 Cerf was largely responsible for bringing modernism to the masses, putting the likes of Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, and William Faulkner in front of millions of American readers.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Its works not only suggest strategies for housing the destitute but also convey an understanding of the forces (authoritarianism, corporate greed, systemic racism, and the co-option of modernism) that have conspired against São Paulo—and Los Angeles.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 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 27 Jan. 2026.
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