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
The Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works sale, composed of 39 works from the late Barnes & Noble founder and his wife, leaned heavy on Surrealism, modernism, and Minimalism.
—
Daniel Cassady For Artnews, Robb Report, 14 May 2025
The images’ long durations fuse with the buildings’ cool serenity, making a bold visual statement about the self-consciously contemplative aesthetic of modernism itself.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Amid the broader sociopolitical tensions and rising revolutionary fervor, the Group synthesized the concerns of a vast swathe of artists by interpreting the abstraction of Western modernism through aesthetics drawn from Islamic and Mesopotamian cultures into various styles.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Cuban composer Tania León added dollops of exciting modernism.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Daniel Cassady For Artnews, Robb Report, 14 May 2025
The images’ long durations fuse with the buildings’ cool serenity, making a bold visual statement about the self-consciously contemplative aesthetic of modernism itself.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 June 2025
Amid the broader sociopolitical tensions and rising revolutionary fervor, the Group synthesized the concerns of a vast swathe of artists by interpreting the abstraction of Western modernism through aesthetics drawn from Islamic and Mesopotamian cultures into various styles.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Cuban composer Tania León added dollops of exciting modernism.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernism
Noun
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Trump has embarked on one of the most consequential and controversial opening stretches of any presidential term in modern memory – striking Iran's nuclear facilities, overhauling the federal government and pursuing mass deportations.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
14 July 2025
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The people around Gladys want to marry for love, in terms of Marian (Louisa Jacobson) and Carrie Astor (Amy Forsyth).—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
14 July 2025
Noun
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In spite of its phonetics, apparently the term is not Yiddish, but a neologism declared by a French writer of comedic phantasms to be German and intended to designate an absurd, unfathomable object that can serve all kinds of purposes.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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Now, without finding a new emblem to rally behind, Democrats may be doing little more than battling that other neologism: MAGA.—
Kevin M. Schultz,
The Conversation,
8 May 2025
Noun
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This could involve helping systems learn colloquialisms and proper usages of terms.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Mar. 2025
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You would be forgiven for assuming this a playful colloquialism, perhaps revealing a tenderness to the hunt.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Above this grid are seven phrases, each giving you a clue to seven words.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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This, of course, was swiftly rebuked by comics writer Tom King, who had used the phrase in a Superman comic that same year.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Noun
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No, but my aesthetic judgment had given over to its vibes, that contemporary euphemism for ultra-processed atmosphere.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
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Children and grief: Stop using euphemisms about death Now, the former president, 82, faces his own cancer diagnosis.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Further imaging showcased the designs on either side of the coinage.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
11 June 2025
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From the July/August 2014 issue: The power of two McCartney and John Lennon were mesmerized by these nonsensical yet lyrical coinages.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There was an expression on his face, something between a smile and a smirk.—
Mona Awad,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
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Through gene expression studies, the team determined these proteins were actively produced and regulated – social control molecules secreted through their natural antennae, the spines.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 July 2025
Noun
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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
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The newest dictionary additions include loanwords from Southeast Asia, South Africa and Ireland.—
Peter Guo,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernism. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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