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
Literary Hub, 22 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 artworks by Matisse were taken in the heist, as well as five pieces by Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.
—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
Conrad Buff was one of the most significant modernists in California who has remained relatively unknown — until now.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2025
The plan for the site has faced strong opposition by groups who say the building is a war memorial and the only surviving example of the work by Nikola Dobrović, the Yugoslav-era modernist architect.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
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 edifice may at first appear to have realized the modernist dream of injecting avant-garde art into everyday life, but its architects’ intention that the building serve only the glitterati of its day evacuated this modernist aesthetic of the socialist ideals typically underpinning it.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 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
Anna Margolin, a consummate modernist whose poems slide fluidly between genders, epochs, and literary traditions, has fared better than most.
—Literary Hub, 22 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 artworks by Matisse were taken in the heist, as well as five pieces by Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.
—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
Conrad Buff was one of the most significant modernists in California who has remained relatively unknown — until now.
—Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2025
The plan for the site has faced strong opposition by groups who say the building is a war memorial and the only surviving example of the work by Nikola Dobrović, the Yugoslav-era modernist architect.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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 edifice may at first appear to have realized the modernist dream of injecting avant-garde art into everyday life, but its architects’ intention that the building serve only the glitterati of its day evacuated this modernist aesthetic of the socialist ideals typically underpinning it.
—Michaëla De Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 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
-
Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern-era players from a group of 15 finalists.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Powell has always said central bank independence is essential to the stability of any modern economy.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rahman is positioning himself as a bridge between a political aristocracy that dates back to Bangladesh’s liberation struggle and the aspirations of its young revolutionaries.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But that's not all − quarters honoring national heroes from the abolitionist, suffragette and civil rights eras have been scrapped and will be replaced by those celebrating the nation's early White pioneers and revolutionaries.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This contemporary jute rug has over 1,000 five-star ratings and is durable for high-traffic areas.—
Jacquelyn McGilvray,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The current owners have updated the home with contemporary flourishes and technology while preserving period features, like the fireplaces.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
30 Jan. 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
-
The shift is already underway What came through clearly at Davos is that AI and data sovereignty have moved out of the realm of future planning and into present-day execution.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Thus the advent of Wet January, which is less a trend than a flag hoisted by Amis’s present-day counterparts.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New Yorker,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Our current estimate for IBM is $294.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Their position ignored the Ukrainian perspective on the issue, thus excluding Ukrainians as the affected party from understanding and communicating current and historical narratives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modernist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernist. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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