modernism

noun

Definition of modernismnext
as in term
a way of saying something that is particular to the present day; a modern speech form modernisms like "blog" and "life hack"

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of modernism Many of the furnishings lean into European modernism, with pieces by iconic French, Danish, and Italian designers. — Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026 Jeddah’s Athr Gallery is debuting with Mosly and a second pioneer of Saudi modernism, Abdulrahman Alsulaiman. — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026 He is credited with bringing modernism to the region, introducing local audiences to what was then still a brash way of painting that put emotions first and realism second. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026 Simons and the Italian designer share a similar aesthetic hinged on modernism and occasionally futurism and even provocation. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for modernism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernism
  1. term
  2. neologism
  3. colloquialism
  4. phrase
  5. euphemism
  6. coinage
  7. expression
  8. loanword
Noun
  • Daniel Zingale worked for Newsom as a senior advisor in the governor’s office at the start of his first term.
    — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Vice President Pedro Alliana was sworn in as president Friday to serve out the term, which ends in August 2028.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of term
Noun
  • Onstage interpreters at the WOTY vote are quick to translate neologisms in real time, but there’s no one-to-one equivalent between a word and a sign.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Are these neologisms diagnosing modern phenomena or illuminating preëxisting cultural realities?
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2025
Definition of neologism
Noun
  • Clues in quotation marks are colloquialisms, of a kind, and need to solve to a phrase that’s similar in tone.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Her vetting crusades have brought about a new Washington colloquialism.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Definition of colloquialism
Noun
  • Each cookie is aptly named with a phrase or word that’s related to baseball, like the sluggers sourdough, a version of a chocolate chip cookie that Amber makes with sourdough and brown butter and is topped with flaky sea salt.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The flash cards also include additional phrases to help learners understand how words are used in everyday conversation.
    — Conor McGill, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of phrase
Noun
  • Coolly, Violet responds that to avoid alarming the public, a few agitators have beenneutralized—now there’s a sticky euphemism—and their deaths passed off as revenge killings among drug traffickers.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of euphemism
Noun
  • That was an early-nineteenth-century coinage, used for hailing a fellow from afar.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Within a year of its onset, the economic depression practically eradicated the need to mint any new coinage for months.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of coinage
Noun
  • According to the company, AlphaGenome 2 identifies nearly twice as many variants that can change gene expression in cells than its previous state-of-the-art model.
    — Robert Hart, The Verge, 11 Nov. 2026
  • But what’s the strange expression on Thraîn’s face as his brother hugs him?
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of expression
Noun
  • The English language comprises a hodgepodge of words borrowed from all over the globe, and a wide variety of those loanwords hail from the languages of India.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Which brings us to the ménage à trois — for some things, only a French loanword will do — between Hayley, Yasmin, and Henry, which exists at the opposite end of the boundary-setting spectrum.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of loanword

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Cite this Entry

“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernism. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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