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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as in modern
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Recent Examples of modernist
Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Aman’s modernist take on a classic ski chalet with minimalistic Asian influences is very much in keeping with the brand's aesthetic.
—Sophie Knight, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Maybourne tapped French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte to transform a vacant property into a modernist hangout filled with head-turning artwork.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, AFAR Media, 20 Jan. 2026
In April, a modernist Westchester home built for a Rockefeller hit the market for $12 million.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2026
The Modulightor is not one of those pristine modernist residences that lack any signs that a human might have resided there.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 13 Jan. 2026
Notably, Hotel Cambridge was designed by the Hungarian Brazilian architect Francisco Beck as a luxurious seventeen-story tower that traded his early Art Deco style for a Brazilian mid-century modernist aesthetic of clean lines, elegant curves, and modular windows.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Eight engravings by French artist Henri Matisse and five by Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari -part of an exhibition on the modernist movement - were stolen from the library, the Brazilian city's government reported.
—CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
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, 26 Nov. 2025
Michael Cowan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Mulier ultimately heated up the house to the boiling point with original, inventive designs, giving an experimental, modernist spin to Alaïa’s legacy of empowering, feminine and sculptural fashions.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
The modernist mountain lodge stands out in the historic town with a color palette of snow white, warm woods, and rust, and airiness conveyed by white oak millwork and textured stone mosaics.
—Amy Tara Koch, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
Choices ranged from the Falun copper mine, which once furnished half of Europe’s copper, to the poet Edith Södergran, one of the first women to publish a modernist art manifesto.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
In a modernist era of abrasion and velocity—the now and the next, chasing each other at warp speed—Reilly offered a work of radical non-provocation.
—Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
For decades Shtok was known as the great disappearing act of Yiddish literature—a modernist story writer who blazed bright in the 1920s before vanishing from the literary scene and, it was assumed, dying young.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
There are clean lines for the modernist chintzy florals for the grandma-core enthusiast, and there’s high-gloss earthenware for an artisanal touch.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2026
The center, which offers free music instruction to disadvantaged children, was carved out of a modernist bank building in downtown Inglewood that had been repurposed as a Burger King.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025
Noun
Better just to glimpse, out of the corner of his eye, the obelisk with its modernist air rising up in the center of the plaza and only get a fleeting, distant view of the wind rose at its base.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Aman’s modernist take on a classic ski chalet with minimalistic Asian influences is very much in keeping with the brand's aesthetic.
—Sophie Knight, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Maybourne tapped French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte to transform a vacant property into a modernist hangout filled with head-turning artwork.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, AFAR Media, 20 Jan. 2026
In April, a modernist Westchester home built for a Rockefeller hit the market for $12 million.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2026
The Modulightor is not one of those pristine modernist residences that lack any signs that a human might have resided there.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 13 Jan. 2026
Notably, Hotel Cambridge was designed by the Hungarian Brazilian architect Francisco Beck as a luxurious seventeen-story tower that traded his early Art Deco style for a Brazilian mid-century modernist aesthetic of clean lines, elegant curves, and modular windows.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Eight engravings by French artist Henri Matisse and five by Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari -part of an exhibition on the modernist movement - were stolen from the library, the Brazilian city's government reported.
—CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
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, 26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
This is not to deny the critical potential of modernist experimentation.
—Michael Cowan, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Mulier ultimately heated up the house to the boiling point with original, inventive designs, giving an experimental, modernist spin to Alaïa’s legacy of empowering, feminine and sculptural fashions.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
The modernist mountain lodge stands out in the historic town with a color palette of snow white, warm woods, and rust, and airiness conveyed by white oak millwork and textured stone mosaics.
—Amy Tara Koch, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
Choices ranged from the Falun copper mine, which once furnished half of Europe’s copper, to the poet Edith Södergran, one of the first women to publish a modernist art manifesto.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
In a modernist era of abrasion and velocity—the now and the next, chasing each other at warp speed—Reilly offered a work of radical non-provocation.
—Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
For decades Shtok was known as the great disappearing act of Yiddish literature—a modernist story writer who blazed bright in the 1920s before vanishing from the literary scene and, it was assumed, dying young.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
There are clean lines for the modernist chintzy florals for the grandma-core enthusiast, and there’s high-gloss earthenware for an artisanal touch.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2026
The center, which offers free music instruction to disadvantaged children, was carved out of a modernist bank building in downtown Inglewood that had been repurposed as a Burger King.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernist
Noun
-
Though Reiner, a lifelong liberal, disagreed with Kirk's conservative beliefs, the filmmaker's remarks about the incident emphasized the importance of nonviolence.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Underly, a liberal, was reelected last year to a second term as state superintendent with strong support from teacher unions and state Democrats.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This technology offers a foundational step toward electromagnetic safety while preserving the aesthetic and functional integrity of modern architecture.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
-
An evolution of fall’s modern prep trend, the spring 2026 runways swapped country codes for literary references, grounding the collections with intellectual flair.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In this topsy-turvy world, Erdoğan was the revolutionary, and the representatives of leftist institutions and unions were the rotten elites.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
-
As his health dwindled, Proust took a particular interest in the case of an Irish revolutionary that aroused much public sympathy in France and elsewhere during the War of Independence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On the contemporary artist side, the duo Libby Rosen contributed seven luminous textile works made of marbled quilted fabric.—
Grace Edquist,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The attic bedroom is actually relatively contemporary, with shiny hardwood floors and plumbing cleverly doubling as stair railing.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Others suggested the 50-foot steel sculpture was a bird, a horse, a Viking ship, a baboon or a modernistic representation of Picasso’s dog.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Inspired by a pile of cardboard and constructed using the same material, Frank Gehry’s luxe Wiggle chair functions as the perfect compact statement piece that will slot right in next to a library bookshelf or stand on its on in an ultramodern space.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The entire hotel is a study in contrasts, from its all-white 1940s Art Deco facade to its eclectic, ultramodern touches: think rooms lined with brightly colored glass panels, edgy, industrial light fixtures, and space-efficient, multifunctional furniture.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This is not said to dismiss the very present danger immigrants face and their contributions to present-day America.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Rare archives and present-day reflections reveal how lived experience, friendship, & exploration shaped the sound & stories behind the music.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The current talks also coincide with the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States on Thursday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
-
During a forum on the Venezuelan transition held in Caracas on January 29, Alarcón described the current situation as an unprecedented, coercive and uncertain process.—
CNN 9 hr ago,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modernist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernist. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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