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
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The silk mousseline garments floated almost like ghosts or memories of Chanel designs past, including the famous skirt suit with its matching cardigan and Karl Lagerfeld modernisms like jeans with a tweed jacket, plus the iconic flap bag.
—CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
This particular strain of modernism grappled with the difficulty of capturing in language the nonverbal aspects of subjective experience.
—Akhil Sharma, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
This Park City stunner is what happens when sleek modernism meets après-ski luxury.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 26 Jan. 2026
But Cézanne’s newfangled fracturing of old-fashioned still lifes and landscapes became the very motor of modernism.
—J. S. Marcus, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
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CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
This particular strain of modernism grappled with the difficulty of capturing in language the nonverbal aspects of subjective experience.
—Akhil Sharma, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
This Park City stunner is what happens when sleek modernism meets après-ski luxury.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 26 Jan. 2026
But Cézanne’s newfangled fracturing of old-fashioned still lifes and landscapes became the very motor of modernism.
—J. S. Marcus, Air Mail, 24 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 1 Feb. 2026.
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