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

Example Sentences

An atypically gestural Mercedes Matter, from 1936, demonstrates what the artist learned from the influential German-born modernist painter and teacher Hans Hofmann, who had recently opened a school in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

Hedda paces around the villa, sketched with modernist spareness by scenic designer Mark Wendland, like a panther in a gold-plated cage.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

Dating from 1920, it stands beside the former North British Diesel Engine Work building, one of the earliest examples of modernist industrial architecture in Scotland.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

The four-storey modernist building, which features a Japanese garden, will host a day-long gathering of design, food and music curated by chief creative Nigo.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

He found his voice in poetry, the new modernist variety.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day