modernism

[ mod-er-niz-uhm ]

/ ˈmɒd ərˌnɪz əm /

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See 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.

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.
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.

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Origin of modernism

First recorded in 1730–40; modern + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM modernism

an·ti·mod·ern·ism, noun

Words nearby modernism

Modern French, modern greats, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Modern Icelandic, modernism, modernist, modernistic, modernity, modernization, modernize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use modernism in a sentence

Alfred Stieglitz began exhibiting photographs in New York in the early 1900s as part of his project of introducing modernism to America.
The art of the photograph; the photograph as art|Michael Roth|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
Secular modernism has tried to get the fruits of the Jesus-message without the roots.
What is the Point of Celebrating Easter During a Pandemic?|N.T. Wright|April 2, 2021|Time
It’s that I think it might produce a new kind of literature, like the way modernism transformed the novel.
Kazuo Ishiguro on How His New Novel Klara and the Sun Is a Celebration of Humanity|Dan Stewart|March 2, 2021|Time
Having been taught Modernism, a school of thought that scoffs at the decorative, materials became his primary means of expression.
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

European Jews gravitated toward modernism as a way to get away from history.
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What every fan of modernism may not know is that all of these designers were Jewish.
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the early years—the 1920s and 1930s—modernism was seen as “out there.”
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In America, modernism was stripped of its socialist leanings.
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Immanence—Agnosticism is the negative side of Modernism; immanence constitutes its positive constituent.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
That its measures were effective is evident from the history of Modernism in the last three years.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
They are the quaint quintessence of conservatism, and will occupy youthful minds menaced by modernism.
Bizarre|Lawton Mackall
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

British Dictionary definitions for modernism

modernism

/ (ˈmɒdəˌnɪzəm) /

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 forms of modernism

modernist, 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

modernism

Origin of modernism

OTHER WORDS FROM modernism

Words nearby modernism

Words related to modernism

How to use modernism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for modernism

Derived forms of modernism