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• minimalist
  minimalist

  noun

  a person who favors a moderate approach to the achievement of a set of goals or who holds minimal expectations for the success of a program.
• Minimalist
  Minimalist

  noun

  a member of the faction of the Social Revolutionaries that advocated immediate postrevolutionary democracy

minimalist

American  

[min-uh-muh-list] / ˈmɪn ə mə lɪst /

noun

• minimalists
  plural

1. a person who favors a moderate approach to the achievement of a set of goals or who holds minimal expectations for the success of a program.

2. a practitioner of minimalism in music or art.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of minimalism.

2. being or offering no more than what is required or essential.

   a minimalist program for tax reform.

minimalist ¹ British  

/ ˈmɪnɪməlɪst /

noun

1. a person advocating a minimal policy, style, technique, action, etc

2. a minimal artist

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adjective

1. of or relating to minimal art or artists

Minimalist ² British  

/ ˈmɪnɪməlɪst /

noun

1. a member of the faction of the Social Revolutionaries that advocated immediate postrevolutionary democracy

2. a less common name for a Menshevik

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Usage

What does minimalist mean? Minimalist is most generally used as an adjective describing a style or approach  that uses a small number of elements. Minimalist can also be used to refer to a person who favors a style or approach. More specifically, minimalist can refer to an artist who practices or uses Minimalism, which can refer to a type of painting or sculpture (sometimes called minimal art), music, or other art form. Art forms labeled minimalist typically use the simplest and fewest elements with the goal of creating the maximum effect. The term minimalism can also be used in a more general way to refer to a minimalist style or approach. The related adjective minimalistic is used to describe something that is stripped down to its most essential elements or uses only what is needed. Both minimalist and minimalistic can be used to describe things that are simplified and include only the most basic components, without embellishment. Example: Jane says she’s a minimalist when it comes to interior design, but to me it just looks like her house is missing a lot of furniture.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• minimalists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of minimalist

1905–10; in political use < French minimaliste ( minimal, -ist ), translation of Russian men'shevík Menshevik; subsequent uses perhaps recoinage with minimal, -ist

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Explanation

When you call a person a minimalist, you're describing their interest in keeping things very simple. A minimalist prefers the minimal amount or degree of something. In art history, the minimalists were artists whose work involved extremely simple gestures and ideas. The art they created is also referred to as minimalist. A white canvas with one black line might be a typical minimalist painting. But anyone who likes things very simple could be called a minimalist. A president who takes a hands-off approach to policy, a composer who only plays one note, a designer who puts only a bed in a bedroom: they're all minimalists.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minimalist Minimalist minimalists

Ms. Margolles purchased a home in the middle of this and demolished it, here reconstructing the rubble into a rectangular minimalist monument that stretches across a large gallery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

"Everybody has been dressed really minimalist in a specific quiet luxury way and I think people are tired of that," she notes.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The bank’s strategists greet the minimalist approach positively.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

No other track on the album evokes that idea better than her cover of Parton’s classic, which begins with a minimalist piano accompaniment.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

Steve Reich exemplified the minimalist movement that bridged the chasm between classical music and pop in the 1970s.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Beware the “endowment effect,” said Joshua Becker, founder of the website Becoming Minimalist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025

Minimalist graphic design, a trademark of Stüssy as well as brands Supreme and Undefeated, has always informed his art.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025

Joshua Becker, founder of the Becoming Minimalist blog, sees a broader cultural shift underway.

From Salon ● May 12, 2025

Minimalist, clean lines were a big part of autumn and winter looks, but maximum volume is in for 2025.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024

Minimalist, lots of clean lines, good for my state of mind.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

The minimalists, Osburn explained, typically share resources with friends, which also have specialized jobs.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2023

Whether paired with a neutral sofa or jazzed up with a vibrant throw pillow or two, the piece can be styled to appeal to minimalists and maximalists.

From Washington Post ● May 19, 2022

“Dirtknock” samples British minimalists Young Marble Giants — and adds a boom-bap rhythm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2021

These aesthetic lights have filtered usefully into his own pianism, especially when it comes to playing works by American minimalists like John Adams.

From New York Times ● Jun. 11, 2020

Michaels noted that throughout the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, announcers were minimalists when it came to describing the action.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 23, 2019

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Related Words

• essential
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