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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in modern
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of modernist
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Following a recent head-to-toe revamp, the 35-room Relais & Châteaux beauty exudes a 1950s modernist charm designed to mimic the surrounding Mediterranean seaside homes.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026
Despite being a major 20th-century modernist, Galentz’s canvases have long-evaded definitive categorization.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 12 June 2026
David Peace’s modernist Red or Dead, about the life of the legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly, left me frequently breathless despite having little emotional investment in the ups and downs of Liverpool.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
The event, the highlight of a weeklong trip to Spain for Leo, comes 144 years after construction on the unfinished modernist basilica began and 100 years since the death of its famous architect, Antoni Gaudí.
—Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Helsinki is famous for its 20th-century architecture, from its central train station (an Art Nouveau masterpiece by Eliel Saarinen) to the modernist simplicity of the Finlandia concert hall by Alvar Aalto.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
The most immediate consequence was opportunities for artists working in styles that fell outside the late modernist orthodoxy—most prominently, figuration.
—Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Shot mostly in the Canary Islands with the region’s searing, glaring Tropic-of-Cancer-adjacent light, freakishly black, volcanic soil and groovy mid-century-modernist buildings, the film suggests a future where the worst climactic disasters have been avoided.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
Ashley Mowreader, NBC news, 13 June 2026
This is a masterpiece of modernist Chinese architecture and design from China’s first Pritzker Prize-winning architect Wang Shu whose work is a poetic alternative to the country’s generic glass and steel highrises.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 June 2026
Over the subsequent years, McCreary transformed the initially vacant land into an ultra-private, modernist compound spanning nearly 15,000 square feet of living space.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 9 June 2026
The Pines, for instance, is noted for gay revelry amid geometrically precise houses by Horace Gifford, Harry Bates, and other important modernist architects.
—Fred A. Bernstein, Architectural Digest, 8 June 2026
In the middle of a sculptural fountain inspired by the Ilisos river, which once flowed through the neighborhood, stood a modernist iron snail, spouting water.
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
That drone touches down at the address of architect Otone Komoto (Haruka Ayase), who designed her family’s modernist home, an arrangement of overlapping boxes stacked around a garden courtyard.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Also featured are a pair of mid-20th century works by modernist pioneers Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota) and George Morrison (Ojibwe).
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The Neue Galerie is known for its deep holdings of German and Austrian modernist art, including masterpieces by Gustav Klimt, at least one of which is worth more than $100 million.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Noun
Fosdick was part of the modernist movement in American Protestantism, which grappled with the implications of evolution and with new scholarship about the Bible’s origins.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Following a recent head-to-toe revamp, the 35-room Relais & Châteaux beauty exudes a 1950s modernist charm designed to mimic the surrounding Mediterranean seaside homes.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026
Despite being a major 20th-century modernist, Galentz’s canvases have long-evaded definitive categorization.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 12 June 2026
David Peace’s modernist Red or Dead, about the life of the legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly, left me frequently breathless despite having little emotional investment in the ups and downs of Liverpool.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
The event, the highlight of a weeklong trip to Spain for Leo, comes 144 years after construction on the unfinished modernist basilica began and 100 years since the death of its famous architect, Antoni Gaudí.
—Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 10 June 2026
Helsinki is famous for its 20th-century architecture, from its central train station (an Art Nouveau masterpiece by Eliel Saarinen) to the modernist simplicity of the Finlandia concert hall by Alvar Aalto.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
The most immediate consequence was opportunities for artists working in styles that fell outside the late modernist orthodoxy—most prominently, figuration.
—Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Shot mostly in the Canary Islands with the region’s searing, glaring Tropic-of-Cancer-adjacent light, freakishly black, volcanic soil and groovy mid-century-modernist buildings, the film suggests a future where the worst climactic disasters have been avoided.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
Adjective
Gaudí’s radical, modernist designs were mocked in his lifetime but have subsequently been celebrated.
—Ashley Mowreader, NBC news, 13 June 2026
This is a masterpiece of modernist Chinese architecture and design from China’s first Pritzker Prize-winning architect Wang Shu whose work is a poetic alternative to the country’s generic glass and steel highrises.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 June 2026
Over the subsequent years, McCreary transformed the initially vacant land into an ultra-private, modernist compound spanning nearly 15,000 square feet of living space.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 9 June 2026
The Pines, for instance, is noted for gay revelry amid geometrically precise houses by Horace Gifford, Harry Bates, and other important modernist architects.
—Fred A. Bernstein, Architectural Digest, 8 June 2026
In the middle of a sculptural fountain inspired by the Ilisos river, which once flowed through the neighborhood, stood a modernist iron snail, spouting water.
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
That drone touches down at the address of architect Otone Komoto (Haruka Ayase), who designed her family’s modernist home, an arrangement of overlapping boxes stacked around a garden courtyard.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Also featured are a pair of mid-20th century works by modernist pioneers Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota) and George Morrison (Ojibwe).
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The Neue Galerie is known for its deep holdings of German and Austrian modernist art, including masterpieces by Gustav Klimt, at least one of which is worth more than $100 million.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernist
Noun
-
Stern is an angry liberal, someone whose entire perspective on the country, on sports, on entertainment, is based on the ideology of the president.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
Labour have, since the 2024 election, lost a number of voters to parties on the liberal-left of the political spectrum, be that the Greens and Liberal Democrats, or Plaid Cymru in Wales and the SNP in Scotland.—
Anand Menon,
Time,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The backstory What appears to be a modern building actually has quite a bit of local history.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
He is best known for proposing the theory of cosmic inflation, a concept that transformed modern understanding of the early universe and the evolution of the big bang.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
The garments, designed by Stella Jean, a Haitian Italian fashion designer, featured a painting of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines’ fellow revolutionary.—
Julia Gaffield,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
For Jones, that’s ultimately what makes Lestat feel like a contemporary artist.—
Precious Fondren,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
After winning the Grammy for best contemporary country album in February, Jelly Roll emotionally dedicated the trophy to Bunnie, who wept and applauded in the audience.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
The design is more modernistic than futuristic, different but still relatable.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Front and center is a large blue modernistic disc known as a Keystone Sparton Nocturne radio from 1935.—
Penny E Schwartz,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Burle’s Bar: A cocktail bar located inside the Victorian plant shop at Beltline-level in the ultramodern Fourth Ward Offices tower.—
Henri Hollis,
AJC.com,
1 May 2026
-
Or, retreat to peaceful Bluffside Gardens with ultramodern cabins that offer direct trail access.—
Sarah Miller,
Midwest Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In this case, looking at the ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen in present-day Earth’s rocky bulk could shed some light on where Earth’s phosphorus came from.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
17 June 2026
-
Carroll said Franklin also shaped the path for present-day meteorologists, like CBS Philadelphia's Grant Gilmore, who track a range of weather patterns, including an ongoing trend of progressively warmer temperatures due to pollution from cars and factories.—
Brandon Goldner,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Under the current law, judges must presume mental illness was a factor if a defendant with a legitimate diagnosis seeks diversion.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modernist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernist. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
