as in liberal
a person with very modern ideas
a time when Paris was the center of the universe for modernists in the art world
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Recent Examples of modernist
David A. Bell, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Often, modernists didn’t have a coherent vision of the body so much as a criticism of it.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Richard Neutra’s pioneering 1928 Jardinette Apartments, a hidden modernist landmark, has been rescued from decades of decay through a complex $5 million-plus restoration.
—Sam Lubell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The seven-bedroom, seven-bath home reflects his love for handcrafted materials and modernist influences, especially from Frank Lloyd Wright and Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
—Businessden, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
The neoclassical West Building is filled with European and American art through the early 20th century, and the modernist East Building is dedicated to modern and contemporary works.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
In 2010 Radić designed an angular black cedar home, House for the Poem of the Right Angle, a tribute to ur-modernist Le Corbusier and a project for his wife, sculptor Marcela Correa.
—Kriston Capps, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
After being tucked away in a sprawling Upper East Side apartment for almost 60 years, a rare painting by Indian modernist Akbar Padamsee is going up for sale at Roland Auctions NY on March 28.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
In so doing, Bettina anticipated a shift from modernist objecthood to the procedural logics that would structure systems and digital- media art—yet retained a fundamentally modernist faith in the promise of spiritual insight through total abstraction.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Technically, Maiden Home’s Louis Sideboard was designed to be placed in a modernist dining room.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2026
According to the Providence Preservation Society, D'Agnillo worked with local architect Albert Harkness to design the company's new, modernist headquarters.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 22 Mar. 2026
Bulldozers and dynamite demolished the modernist mausoleum of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Throughout, artworks by Lawrence Weiner and Lee Ufan are paired with reproductions of important modernist furniture by the likes of Le Corbusier and Gerrit Rietveld.
—Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 21 Mar. 2026
Ensconced in the dense hardwoods of the Shenandoah Valley, these modernist timber cabins are designed entirely around a massive, wall-sized window, turning the forest into a 24-hour cinema where the plot is determined solely by the weather and the wildlife.
—The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
High-voltage accessories, like the bright green Pierced pumps from the brand and modernist silver earrings, bring these individual pieces together in a very contemporary way.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
But Viollet-le-Duc was no modernist avant la lettre.
—David A. Bell, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Often, modernists didn’t have a coherent vision of the body so much as a criticism of it.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Richard Neutra’s pioneering 1928 Jardinette Apartments, a hidden modernist landmark, has been rescued from decades of decay through a complex $5 million-plus restoration.
—Sam Lubell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The seven-bedroom, seven-bath home reflects his love for handcrafted materials and modernist influences, especially from Frank Lloyd Wright and Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
—Businessden, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
The neoclassical West Building is filled with European and American art through the early 20th century, and the modernist East Building is dedicated to modern and contemporary works.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026
In 2010 Radić designed an angular black cedar home, House for the Poem of the Right Angle, a tribute to ur-modernist Le Corbusier and a project for his wife, sculptor Marcela Correa.
—Kriston Capps, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
At the story’s start Mathilda happens upon a new Transfixion, the obscure Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt, who sends her into a tailspin unlike any who came before.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
After being tucked away in a sprawling Upper East Side apartment for almost 60 years, a rare painting by Indian modernist Akbar Padamsee is going up for sale at Roland Auctions NY on March 28.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
It has been praised by preservationists as an irreplaceable example of modernist architecture.
—S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
In so doing, Bettina anticipated a shift from modernist objecthood to the procedural logics that would structure systems and digital- media art—yet retained a fundamentally modernist faith in the promise of spiritual insight through total abstraction.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Technically, Maiden Home’s Louis Sideboard was designed to be placed in a modernist dining room.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2026
According to the Providence Preservation Society, D'Agnillo worked with local architect Albert Harkness to design the company's new, modernist headquarters.
—Antonia Noori Farzan, The Providence Journal, 22 Mar. 2026
Bulldozers and dynamite demolished the modernist mausoleum of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Throughout, artworks by Lawrence Weiner and Lee Ufan are paired with reproductions of important modernist furniture by the likes of Le Corbusier and Gerrit Rietveld.
—Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 21 Mar. 2026
Ensconced in the dense hardwoods of the Shenandoah Valley, these modernist timber cabins are designed entirely around a massive, wall-sized window, turning the forest into a 24-hour cinema where the plot is determined solely by the weather and the wildlife.
—The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
High-voltage accessories, like the bright green Pierced pumps from the brand and modernist silver earrings, bring these individual pieces together in a very contemporary way.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernist
Noun
-
The bromide has it that a liberal is a person who won’t take his own side in an argument.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Her efforts to come to terms with polyamory are couched as a political project—part of being an open-minded liberal—as much as a romantic one.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Purists may object, but Rolex’s modern movements are quite lovely to behold.—
Allen Farmelo,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2026
-
On April 21, 1526, a Central Asian prince named Babur defeated the Delhi sultanate ruler Ibrahim Lodi in India and laid the foundations of what would become one of the most important empires of early modern history—the Mughal Empire (1526–1857).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thanks to a new English book from Boston playwright Kirsten Greenidge, the action is transported from France to 1776-era Boston where Massachusetts revolutionary and patriot Deborah Sampson has disguised herself as a man to fight for independence.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
These works follow aging revolutionaries who have given up the fight after being forced into hiding or choosing to raise a family; some have simply grown tired of the struggle.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Apartments will feature modern amenities such as vinyl plank flooring, porcelain tile, quartz countertops and contemporary fixtures, according to Lowe.—
Samantha Gowen,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The tour was developed with the Center for Women’s History at the San Diego History Center and highlights the historical and contemporary women whose vision, leadership, and creativity helped shape Balboa Park into a cultural destination.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Vessel’s starkly sharp architecture — critics call it cold or even brutally modernistic — has drawn pushback in several affluent suburbs, but its supporters say opposition is often based on a reluctance to bring lower- to moderate-income people into upscale neighborhoods.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Jin’s modernistic work is unlike traditional jewels typically seen on tuxedo lapels — and perhaps that’s precisely why Brody enjoys wearing these artful pieces also seen with his look at the 2025 Oscars.—
Laurie Brookins,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Dubai is known as the business and tourism capital of the Middle East with its iconic, ultramodern skyscrapers, rising amid the desert and housing luxury hotels and residences for the superrich.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Along with the astonishing views of the Uinta Mountains, the Aspen Camp neighborhood inside the gates of the exclusive Promontory community captivates with a collection of ultramodern homes designed to immerse residents in Park City’s rugged beauty.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This traces the origins of her house, from its first, paradigm-shifting garments to its present-day incarnation under current creative director, Daniel Roseberry.—
Jane Levere,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Seeding, as Redick said earlier this week, doesn’t matter to the Lakers in their present-day situation.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The program grew slowly under the Biden administration, reaching about 3 million clients, before the current round of disruptions began.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
This limitation is partly linked to weaker language guidance in current architectures, though larger vision-language-action models may help address this issue in future work.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modernist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernist. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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