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
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Recent Examples of modernism
Widely regarded as one of the country’s finest examples of mid-century modernism, the Miller House was completed in 1957.
—
Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
Having co-founded Random House in 1927 Cerf was largely responsible for bringing modernism to the masses, putting the likes of Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, and William Faulkner in front of millions of American readers.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Its works not only suggest strategies for housing the destitute but also convey an understanding of the forces (authoritarianism, corporate greed, systemic racism, and the co-option of modernism) that have conspired against São Paulo—and Los Angeles.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
This effort has a noble literary pedigree, incipient in Percy Shelley, gaining full steam with Matthew Arnold and Walter Pater, and continuing on through much of modernism (especially Wallace Stevens, about whom Critchley has written a book, Things Merely Are).
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
Having co-founded Random House in 1927 Cerf was largely responsible for bringing modernism to the masses, putting the likes of Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, and William Faulkner in front of millions of American readers.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Its works not only suggest strategies for housing the destitute but also convey an understanding of the forces (authoritarianism, corporate greed, systemic racism, and the co-option of modernism) that have conspired against São Paulo—and Los Angeles.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
This effort has a noble literary pedigree, incipient in Percy Shelley, gaining full steam with Matthew Arnold and Walter Pater, and continuing on through much of modernism (especially Wallace Stevens, about whom Critchley has written a book, Things Merely Are).
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernism
Noun
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Trump has made remaking and remodeling the Kennedy Center a higher priority in his second term than was perhaps expected.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Feb. 2026
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Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt resumed limited operations Monday under the terms of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire agreement, reopening a critical gateway that had been largely closed for nearly two years.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 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
-
Her vetting crusades have brought about a new Washington colloquialism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The show chugged along nonetheless, gradually attracting fans who adored its stark cinematography and weirdo colloquialisms.—
Claire McNear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But conversely, O’Hara, who died late last week at 71, could make a ho-hum phrase utterly hilarious.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
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That phrase will take on new meaning this July as Disneyland announced its famed ghostly estate will become available for weddings for the first time.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The gloves are off, the language is blunter, and the patience for euphemism is gone.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
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Everything else is a euphemism for old fashioned domination that the region has spent generations trying to escape.—
Boris Muñoz,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This book is a deeply scholarly, policy-relevant history of money, from the advent of coinage, paper currency, and bank money in ancient, medieval, and early modern times to the stablecoins and central bank digital currencies of today and tomorrow.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
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Wednesday’s unveiling follows several splashy moves around U.S. coinage in recent months.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The actors’ expressions aren’t wholly legible through the glass and the falling dusk, but the air around them is thick with curdling resentment and sudden grief.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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Beyond shedding light on the exploitative nature of the AI industry, Gourault highlights the workers’ attempts to claim agency, however precarious, through tactics of organization and expression.—
Farren Fei Yuan,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 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 8 Feb. 2026.
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