modernism

[mod-er-niz-uh m]

See more synonyms for modernism on Thesaurus.com

noun

modern character, tendencies, or values; adherence to or sympathy with what is modern.
a modern usage or characteristic.
(initial capital letter) Theology.
1. the movement in Roman Catholic thought that sought to interpret the teachings of the Church in the light of philosophic and scientific conceptions prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: condemned by Pope Pius X in 1907.
2. the liberal theological tendency in Protestantism in the 20th century.

(sometimes initial capital letter) a deliberate philosophical and practical estrangement or divergence from the past in the arts and literature occurring especially in the course of the 20th century and taking form in any of various innovative movements and styles.

Origin of modernism

First recorded in 1730–40; modern + -ism

Related formsan·ti·mod·ern·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for modernism

Contemporary Examples

If modernism was going to be acceptable, its leftist leanings had to be gotten rid of.
How Jews Created American Modernism
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014
In the early years, modernism had a kind of progressive, even socialist bent to it.
How Jews Created American Modernism
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014
And so the Jewishness of modernism was written out of the history in a way.
How Jews Created American Modernism
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014
In the 1930s, MoMA did a big show on the Bauhaus, and they worked very hard to say that modernism was a style.
How Jews Created American Modernism
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014
Were they more interested in modernism than the American public at large?
How Jews Created American Modernism
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014

Historical Examples

We know him well: Xenophon's modernism comes out in these things.
Cyropaedia
Xenophon
But now all is crumbling before the poisonous onslaught of modernism.
Sugar Plum
Reginald Bretnor
Too angry to deny the convenient charge of "modernism," he sought the street.
The Higher Court
Mary Stewart Daggett
He bowed his head, revolving in his mind the definite charge of "modernism."
The Higher Court
Mary Stewart Daggett
Consequently the charge of "modernism" fell like a bolt from a clear sky.
The Higher Court
Mary Stewart Daggett

British Dictionary definitions for modernism

modernism

noun

modern tendencies, characteristics, thoughts, etc, or the support of these
something typical of contemporary life or thought
a 20th-century divergence in the arts from previous traditions, esp in architectureSee International Style
(capital) RC Church the movement at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries that sought to adapt doctrine to the supposed requirements of modern thought

Derived Formsmodernist, noun, adjectivemodernistic, adjectivemodernistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for modernism

n.

1737, "deviation from the ancient and classical manner" [Johnson, who calls it "a word invented by Swift"], from modern + -ism. From 1830 as "modern ways and styles." Used in theology since 1901. As a movement in the arts (away from classical or traditional modes), from 1929.

modernism

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}modernism

Examples from the Web for modernism

Contemporary Examples

If modernism was going to be acceptable, its leftist leanings had to be gotten rid of.

In the early years, modernism had a kind of progressive, even socialist bent to it.

And so the Jewishness of modernism was written out of the history in a way.

In the 1930s, MoMA did a big show on the Bauhaus, and they worked very hard to say that modernism was a style.

Were they more interested in modernism than the American public at large?

Historical Examples

We know him well: Xenophon's modernism comes out in these things.

But now all is crumbling before the poisonous onslaught of modernism.

Too angry to deny the convenient charge of "modernism," he sought the street.

He bowed his head, revolving in his mind the definite charge of "modernism."

Consequently the charge of "modernism" fell like a bolt from a clear sky.

modernism

Word Origin and History for modernism

n.

Origin of modernism