modernism

noun

mod·​ern·​ism ˈmä-dər-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce modernism (audio)
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
modernist noun or adjective
modernistic adjective

Examples of modernism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Magic Mountain is an odyssey confined to one place, a novel of ideas like no other, and a masterpiece of literary modernism. George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024 Politicians with the far-right Alternative for Germany party have criticized the Bauhaus movement of the early 20th century, claiming that its emphasis on austerity and minimalism led modernism in the wrong direction. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2024 The jewellery-loving cognoscenti of New York, where Givenchy has a by-appointment showroom, have embraced this new modernism. Jessica Diamond, theweek, 17 Oct. 2024 But modernism already ended some time ago and with it, presumably, time itself, as it was widely rumored that space was supposed to replace time in the general ontological scheme of things. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for modernism 

Word History

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of modernism was in 1737

Dictionary Entries Near modernism

Cite this Entry

“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modernism. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

modernism

noun
mod·​ern·​ism ˈmäd-ər-ˌniz-əm How to pronounce modernism (audio)
: a modern custom, expression, style, or idea
modernist noun or adjective
modernistic adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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