Synonyms of modernist

modernist 1 of 2

noun

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

• liberal
• modern
• revolutionary
• leftist
• ultramodernist
• progressive
• reformist
• extremist
• radical
• bohemian
• lefty
• revolutionist
• neophiliac
• reformer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fossil
• reactionary
• conservative
• rightist
• fogy
• Tory
• stick-in-the-mud
• traditionalist
• veteran
• dodo
• right-winger
• old hand
• antediluvian
• standpatter
• conformist
• fuddy-duddy
• old-timer
• neoconservative
• neocon
• Bourbon
• square
• archconservative
• diehard
• Colonel Blimp
• stuffed shirt
• paleoconservative

modernist

2 of 2

adjective

as in modern

Related Words

• modern
• contemporary
• modernistic
• ultramodern
• present-day
• current
• newfangled
• new age
• state-of-the-art
• designer
• new
• chic
• up-to-date
• fashionable
• stylish
• mod
• space-age
• red-hot
• new-fashioned
• fresh
• modernized
• latest
• hot
• futuristic
• nontraditional
• updated
• smart
• renewed
• latter-day
• high-tech
• last
• refurbished
• recent
• remodeled

Dissimilar Words

• antique
• old-world
• retro
• vintage
• old-time
• old-school
• old-fashioned
• quaint
• retrograde
• antiquated
• historical
• traditional
• obsolete
• historic
• old-timey
• moldy
• oldfangled
• olden
• rinky-dink

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of modernist

Noun

Hauser & Wirth is betting on the fast-rising young painter George Rouy, whom the gallery is showing alongside Lee Bul, who represented Korea in the 1999 Venice Biennale, and Swiss modernist Hans Arp. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

The modernist, mechanistic view of the world where humans are separate and death is the end doesn’t hold true to my experience. — Casper Ter Kuile, Vox, 16 Sep. 2026

At Grill, which celebrates its centennial this year, a recent renovation has restored the Weimar-era Art Deco design of German modernist Emil Fahrenkamp. — Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2026

Often overlooked as a modernist destination, Mission Hills is home to one of the region’s largest concentrations of midcentury-modern residences, including works by renowned architects Frederick Liebhardt, Lloyd Ruocco and Homer Delawie. — The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2026

Here, age-old traditions fuse with contemporary flavors, archaeological marvels meet modernist museums, rugged peaks are juxtaposed against verdant plains, and stretches of sandy shorelines lead to charming inland villages. — Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

For the modernist, the Ciminiere d’Italia Round LED floor lamp offers a minimal frame that makes a major design impact. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026

For the modernist and late-modernist eye, all imitation is a copy, and copying is something that machines do but humans shouldn’t. — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

This modernist gem, tucked away just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco in the affluent Upper Lucas Valley enclave of San Rafael, carries a dual legacy. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2026

Adjective

McBride reflects on Queen Mab’s protagonist, a 23-year-old graduate student of Victorian and modernist literature, who struggles to bond with her baby and begins to fear that her child is a changeling. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

The mews, at the back of the three-acre property, is a modernist addition with 21 guestrooms, some with private terrace gardens that have just been planted. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026

But the legacy of the modernist academic-cultural complex blinds us to the mimetic spirit of this new technical logic. — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

The distinctive modernist homes that started going up on Fire Island in the 1960s became useful landmarks for visitors. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026

The Financial Times has argued that the astronomical prices of top modernist paintings are less about intrinsic artistic value than wealth, scarcity, and the concentration of buying power among billionaires. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

The library is a modernist triumph, featuring a vast, sloping glass façade. — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026

Scandinavian countries and Japan produced particularly attractive modernist flatware in the 1950s and ’60s, giving you the vintage look without the constant polishing. — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 14 Aug. 2026

This Sag Harbor home is a delightful design mashup with a modernist exterior and mid-century modern interiors. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026