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
Jeffrey Simpson Examples of modernism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Merging traditional African techniques with Western art principles One artist who is credited with pioneering Nigerian modernism is the sculptor and painter Ben Enwonwu.
—Suyin Haynes, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Presented in Lightness & Tension, an exhibition curated by roving gallerist Ulysses de Santi, Simões’s work is rooted in material exploration, as seen in the Sleeper chair, a curving steel form that suggests Brazilian midcentury modernism.
—Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
There’s always been an underpinning of organic modernism and neo primitivism in their work that is a great pairing with the Loewe DNA.
—Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
Gertrude set out to generate the same kind of shock—modernism’s disruption of form and perspective—by using words to compose a fractured picture.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Suyin Haynes, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Presented in Lightness & Tension, an exhibition curated by roving gallerist Ulysses de Santi, Simões’s work is rooted in material exploration, as seen in the Sleeper chair, a curving steel form that suggests Brazilian midcentury modernism.
—Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
There’s always been an underpinning of organic modernism and neo primitivism in their work that is a great pairing with the Loewe DNA.
—Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
Gertrude set out to generate the same kind of shock—modernism’s disruption of form and perspective—by using words to compose a fractured picture.
—Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modernism. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share