modernism
noun
mod·ern·ism
ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm 
1
: a practice, usage, or expression peculiar to modern times
such modernisms as "blog," "bromance," and "steampunk"
2
often capitalized
: a tendency in theology to accommodate traditional religious teaching to contemporary thought and especially to devalue supernatural elements
3
: modern artistic or literary philosophy and practice
especially
: a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression
extols the … modernism that laid the foundation of all twentieth-century design —
Jeffrey Simpson
Jeffrey Simpson Examples of modernism in a Sentence
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Considered one of the pioneers of midcentury modernism, Austrian-American architect Richard Neutra’s residential projects are found primarily in Southern California and are as sleek as can be.
—Kristine Hansen, Architectural Digest, 30 May 2025
In a country with an above-average suspicion of modernism, in a city that had never had a full-scale museum of modern and contemporary art, Tate Modern arrived on a bank of the River Thames at just the right time.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 May 2025
In the 1940s, while Brazil’s cultural establishment remained skeptical of modernism, Bittencourt founded the MAM with little funding and against stiff resistance.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 21 Mar. 2025
This latest book explores the innovative literary style of modernism through its works, ideas, and influence.
—Literary Hub
july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
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Kristine Hansen, Architectural Digest, 30 May 2025
In a country with an above-average suspicion of modernism, in a city that had never had a full-scale museum of modern and contemporary art, Tate Modern arrived on a bank of the River Thames at just the right time.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 8 May 2025
In the 1940s, while Brazil’s cultural establishment remained skeptical of modernism, Bittencourt founded the MAM with little funding and against stiff resistance.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 21 Mar. 2025
This latest book explores the innovative literary style of modernism through its works, ideas, and influence.
—Literary Hub
july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modernism. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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