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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Recent Examples of modernism
His youngest child, Gertrude Stein, would become a legend, a leading figure of literary modernism, possibly the only female avant-garde writer in the world to have her name up in lights in Times Square.
—
Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
The gallery cleverly positioned him as a historical anchor for Cypriot modernism contrasting his landscapes with contemporary Cypriot artists in the same booth.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Rooms The interiors at Ipanema Inn evoke Brazilian modernism.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
In the past couple of decades, however, Czernowin has deëmphasized the frantic gesturing that characterizes so much latter-day modernism.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
The gallery cleverly positioned him as a historical anchor for Cypriot modernism contrasting his landscapes with contemporary Cypriot artists in the same booth.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Rooms The interiors at Ipanema Inn evoke Brazilian modernism.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2026
In the past couple of decades, however, Czernowin has deëmphasized the frantic gesturing that characterizes so much latter-day modernism.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernism
Noun
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User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Trump tore that deal up during his first term.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Are these neologisms diagnosing modern phenomena or illuminating preëxisting cultural realities?—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
2 Dec. 2025
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These neologisms weren’t just clever.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The exhibit’s title is derived from a Spanish colloquialism.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ways to learn a new language Apps are a good way to learn the basics and proper pronunciation, but many colloquialisms, abbreviations and grammatically informal expressions used by fluent or native speakers aren’t taught on apps or in language classes.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The phrase was written in white paint with a star surrounded by a circle next to it.—
Christina Zhang,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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One of her Today colleagues even stitched the phrase onto a cushion for her.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The Execution Crisis Defined Rasmus Holst, CEO of Zensai, describes it without euphemism.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Willmett and Harris are clearly uninterested in euphemisms, so there’s an exaggerated naivety to their lyrics.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The author, a professor named Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, proved to have a knack not just for provocative legal essays but for coinages, too.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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People have been called pedants since the early modern period—pedante is a fifteenth-century Italian coinage for a professional teacher of Latin literature and rhetoric—but have been acting pedantically for millennia.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The top-scoring expression matures for an astounding six years in white American oak barrels.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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Salaviza described the short form as a pure mode of expression in which authentic emotion is fundamental, while von Döhren – drawing on her parallel career as an illustrator – emphasized how effectively the format can convey feeling through storytelling.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Noun
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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
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For instance, people, a French loanword, may be spelled peple, pepill, poeple, or poepul.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernism. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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