minimalism
noun
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In the 1960s, a few composers, including Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and John Adams, began writing music inspired by the music of India and Southeast Asia, often with a quick pulsing beat and chords that are repeated quickly over and over while small changes are slowly introduced. Minimalist art, which began appearing around the same time, tries to strip away all personal elements, often leaving only pure geometric forms; you may have seen the plain silver boxes of Donald Judd, or the straight neon tubes of Bruce Nauman. In literature, the stripped-down fiction of Samuel Beckett and Raymond Carver is often considered minimalist. But there's a real question whether these various types of minimalism should even be considered the same concept.
Examples of minimalism in a Sentence
Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Most Affordable Leave it to IKEA to present a storage cabinet that goes all in on minimalism.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 Apr. 2026
With a clean, wide-leg shape, these jeans tap into the effortless minimalism Gwyneth Paltrow is known for.
—Aashna Gheewalla, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Several of its designers previously worked on major projects such as Aman Tokyo and The Chedi Andermatt; experience that informs the team’s warm, Asian-leaning minimalism.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Minimalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minimalism. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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