modernist

American  

[mod-er-nist] / ˈmɒd ər nɪst /

noun

1. a person who follows or favors modern ways, tendencies, etc.

2. a person who advocates the study of modern subjects in preference to ancient classics.

3. an adherent of modernism in theological questions.

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adjective

1. of modernists or modernism.

Other Word Forms

• antimodernist
  noun
• hypermodernist
  noun
• promodernist
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of modernist

First recorded in 1580–90; modern + -ist

Explanation

An artist who belonged to a 19th- and 20th-century art movement that rejected old ideas and styles was called a modernist. Virginia Woolf is one example of a modernist writer. The philosophy behind modernist art and writing was basically that the old Victorian ways of expressing artistic vision weren't keeping up with the changes in society. Modern industry, the growth of cities, and reactions to World War I were all factors that affected modernists' break with the old style. Modernist painters included the Impressionists (like Manet and Monet). Philosopher Immanuel Kant, psychologist Sigmund Freud, and composer Arnold Schoenberg are all also considered to be modernists.

Example Sentences

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret—far better known by his pseudonym, Le Corbusier—was the great guru of Modernist architecture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Today, we live with our son in a Modernist house on a hill surrounded by trees in the Los Feliz section of L.A.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Portinari, who often painted rural workers and labourers, is one of the most significant Brazilian Modernist artists.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025

By restoring an original Raphael Soriano home to its original state, architect Linda Brettler pays homage to the Modernist master while making it her own.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

Making himself useful as always, he took upon himself the Sisyphean task of keeping all those Modernist surfaces sparkling.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides