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
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
Initially this brought an overdue celebration of figures, like Fred Eversley, Jack Whitten, and Howardena Pindell, who had been working within high-modernist modes but had been discriminated against by white curators, dealers, and critics.
—Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The title of this collection, first published in 1984, and written by a central figure of the modernist Nayi Kavita (New Poetry) movement, refers to an ancient kingdom that looms large in Indian history and myth.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola has so far redesigned five suites, bringing her signature modernist touch while drawing on the island’s colors and materials.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 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
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
Initially this brought an overdue celebration of figures, like Fred Eversley, Jack Whitten, and Howardena Pindell, who had been working within high-modernist modes but had been discriminated against by white curators, dealers, and critics.
—Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The title of this collection, first published in 1984, and written by a central figure of the modernist Nayi Kavita (New Poetry) movement, refers to an ancient kingdom that looms large in Indian history and myth.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola has so far redesigned five suites, bringing her signature modernist touch while drawing on the island’s colors and materials.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 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
-
The otherwise contemporary firm HOK’s interpretation features a row of square columns bookended by two bulky, mausoleum-like volumes — a kind of architectural equivalent to armored power shoulders.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
-
Listing agent Susan Richards-Slavik of Coldwell Banker Realty said the result is transportive, especially in a foothill luxury market where Tuscan-style and contemporary homes dominate.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
12 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
-
That means a legend and a present-day contender can both show up at full strength.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
The sudden proliferation has heightened scrutiny of what once seemed a highly futuristic technology but is now a present-day reality.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
8 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 19 Jun. 2026.
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