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
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
The modernist architecture of Luis Barragán, the geometric rigor of the Church of the Resurrection in Bosque de las Lomas, the lush natural landscape, and Mexico’s rich mineral heritage lie at the heart of the creative process behind each of these new pieces.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
Bauhaus Human Scale In Stuttgart Stuttgart’s Weissenhof Estate, built in 1927, was a testing ground for modernist ideas.
—Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
His restaurant sits in the courtyard of the Hotel Saint Augustine, an airy, modernist space brimming with sagebrush.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
This was a departure from Pärt’s earlier modernist and experimental music, and expressed a yearslong struggle to reconcile his newfound commitment to Orthodox Christianity and his rigorous artistic ideals.
—Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Suddenly panicked, Maria turns the car around and heads back to her boxy, modernist house with Danny and locks him in her basement.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
In terms of design, the EliteBook Ultra G1i has the same sleek, modernist chassis as the Qualcomm Snapdragon version launched last year.
—PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
The apparently simple farmhouse masks a far more complex—and modernist—interior world.
—Joseph Giovannini, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Located at the end of a dirt road and cul-de-sac, the modernist, split-level home had wood-shingle exteriors, huge living room windows, two large decks with bay views and a patio and garden.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Also honored was Herbert Brownell Architects, which received the 25-Year Design Award for a mid-century modernist residence in Corona del Mar.
—Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The artwork of Enzo Cucchi, a key member of the Italian Transavanguardia, a late modernist movement that emerged in the ’70s, is on display.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
My grandmother, a modernist before that was a thing, brought Bauhaus with her.
—Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
And in a city filled with marble columns and wood paneling, its modernist, forward-thinking spaces feel sorely needed.
—William Goodman, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2025
White Out is like something from the high-modernist era of Joyce and Woolf—dark, fragmented, impressionistic, saturated with irony and black humor.
—Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
The eighth annual World Championship in Massage was under way in a modernist, glass-and-concrete building owned by University College Copenhagen.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
The intellectual premise of the movie—true to Greaves’s modernist spirit—arises from the practical premise of its production, namely, a fusion of celebration and cerebration, unity of purpose and dialectical confrontations.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
The modernist architecture of Luis Barragán, the geometric rigor of the Church of the Resurrection in Bosque de las Lomas, the lush natural landscape, and Mexico’s rich mineral heritage lie at the heart of the creative process behind each of these new pieces.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
Bauhaus Human Scale In Stuttgart Stuttgart’s Weissenhof Estate, built in 1927, was a testing ground for modernist ideas.
—Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
His restaurant sits in the courtyard of the Hotel Saint Augustine, an airy, modernist space brimming with sagebrush.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
This was a departure from Pärt’s earlier modernist and experimental music, and expressed a yearslong struggle to reconcile his newfound commitment to Orthodox Christianity and his rigorous artistic ideals.
—Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Suddenly panicked, Maria turns the car around and heads back to her boxy, modernist house with Danny and locks him in her basement.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
In terms of design, the EliteBook Ultra G1i has the same sleek, modernist chassis as the Qualcomm Snapdragon version launched last year.
—PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2025
The apparently simple farmhouse masks a far more complex—and modernist—interior world.
—Joseph Giovannini, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
From the modernist, Black figuration of Kwami’s ceramics to Abban’s documentary portrayals of Ghanaian protest movements and architecture, these artists responded to the distinctive, pedestrian layers of postcolonial life.
—Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Located at the end of a dirt road and cul-de-sac, the modernist, split-level home had wood-shingle exteriors, huge living room windows, two large decks with bay views and a patio and garden.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Also honored was Herbert Brownell Architects, which received the 25-Year Design Award for a mid-century modernist residence in Corona del Mar.
—Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The artwork of Enzo Cucchi, a key member of the Italian Transavanguardia, a late modernist movement that emerged in the ’70s, is on display.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025
My grandmother, a modernist before that was a thing, brought Bauhaus with her.
—Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
And in a city filled with marble columns and wood paneling, its modernist, forward-thinking spaces feel sorely needed.
—William Goodman, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2025
White Out is like something from the high-modernist era of Joyce and Woolf—dark, fragmented, impressionistic, saturated with irony and black humor.
—Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
The eighth annual World Championship in Massage was under way in a modernist, glass-and-concrete building owned by University College Copenhagen.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernist
Noun
-
Even John Stuart Mill, the model nineteenth-century liberal and a feminist, did not think that Indians in British India were ready for free speech.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Navratilova is known as a highly outspoken liberal as a former athlete.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But modern dentists are skeptical as to how effective this practice actually is at improving oral health.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Netflix's modern retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, set in the tiny Tennessee town of Pegram, recently hit the global streaming platform.—
Katie Nixon,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Yet through Bob, Anderson finds his way into this story in a way that feels self-reflective and in conversation with a whole generation of coulda been revolutionaries.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Assata Shakur, the Black revolutionary and godmother to Tupac Shakur, has died, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported last Friday, September 26.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Modern interpretations of inns layer rustic charm with contemporary finishes.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
1 Oct. 2025
-
While rooted in historical detail, Merrill and Farnham’s design ultimately merges tradition with the rhythms of contemporary life.—
Leonora Epstein,
Architectural Digest,
1 Oct. 2025
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
-
Also in Deer Valley is the ultramodern mansion featured in the HBO dystopian streamer Mountainhead.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
3 Oct. 2025
-
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,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Through immersive reenactments and present-day interviews, the docuseries details paranormal encounters from the viewpoint of those who lived them.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Throughout the building, there’s a strong sense of continuity between history and present-day artistry.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
All tuitions listed reflect the most current tuition information for full-time students on each school's website or information sent directly to The Tennessean by the schools.—
Rachel Wegner,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
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Finally, there’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, whose current role is pivotal as top government spokesperson.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Modernist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernist. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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