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 artworks were part of a joint exhibit with the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art that highlighted rare books and how modernism took shape in Brazil. —CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

His work is rooted in 20th-century modernism, particularly geometric abstraction, but for him, that is just a starting point. —Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025

Lately, Coll has found a distinctive voice—a kind of romantic neo-modernism, abrasive and rhapsodic by turns. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

From an architectural point of view, swimming pools have a rich iconography, with their references to Art Deco, modernism, and minimalism, with a sometimes austere aesthetic. —Nicolas Milon, Architectural Digest, 30 Nov. 2025

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
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

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