as in term
a way of saying something that is particular to the present day; a modern speech form
modernisms like "blog" and "life hack"
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Recent Examples of modernism
There are moments when the book, in defending Giacometti, seems to overburden his oeuvre with an exponential set of aesthetic, intellectual, and political problems, from resolving the tensions between modernism and the avant-garde to a singular working through of national trauma.
—
Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Set amongst rice fields in Ubud, the home blends tropical modernism with local craftsmanship, with four bedrooms that open out to green views.
—Angela Tafoya, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2026
This time along with Rossen Ventzislavov, an educator who brought me out to Woodbury University last spring as a fellow to teach a one-of-a-kind semester on Black modernism in architecture, design and popular culture.
—Jerald “coop” Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Later, criticism also came from arbiters of high modernism, such as Clement Greenberg, who wrote off New Deal art as kitsch for the masses.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Set amongst rice fields in Ubud, the home blends tropical modernism with local craftsmanship, with four bedrooms that open out to green views.
—Angela Tafoya, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2026
This time along with Rossen Ventzislavov, an educator who brought me out to Woodbury University last spring as a fellow to teach a one-of-a-kind semester on Black modernism in architecture, design and popular culture.
—Jerald “coop” Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Later, criticism also came from arbiters of high modernism, such as Clement Greenberg, who wrote off New Deal art as kitsch for the masses.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for modernism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernism
Noun
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Last June, Hill was ordered to pay Bauer more than $300,000 for violating settlement terms.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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In terms of how the two PSG goalkeepers have fared this season, the data shows Safonov is outperforming Chevalier.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Are these neologisms diagnosing modern phenomena or illuminating preëxisting cultural realities?—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
2 Dec. 2025
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These neologisms weren’t just clever.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The exhibit’s title is derived from a Spanish colloquialism.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ways to learn a new language Apps are a good way to learn the basics and proper pronunciation, but many colloquialisms, abbreviations and grammatically informal expressions used by fluent or native speakers aren’t taught on apps or in language classes.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In a larger context, this quintessentially Bengali phrase has come to mean a repast of tea and snacks that encompasses a tradition deeply ingrained in the culture.—
Madhushree Basu Roy,
Saveur,
30 Apr. 2026
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There is a phrase in Japanese that explains it.—
Stephen Wade,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Discussing why people use euphemisms online prepares children to pause and ask questions when unfamiliar terms appear.—
Sharlette A. Kellum,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
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When Oklahoma missed out on the NCAA Tournament, AD Roger Denny announced that coach Porter Moser was staying and offered up one of the great euphemisms of this era.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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People have been called pedants since the early modern period—pedante is a fifteenth-century Italian coinage for a professional teacher of Latin literature and rhetoric—but have been acting pedantically for millennia.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Propagandi, in other words, isn’t just a clever coinage.—
Tim Requarth,
Longreads,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a league too often sanitized by coachspeak, facial expressions might be our last great truth serum.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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But the publishing industry is not the only place where space for free expression is dwindling in Russia.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Which brings us to the ménage à trois — for some things, only a French loanword will do — between Hayley, Yasmin, and Henry, which exists at the opposite end of the boundary-setting spectrum.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
26 Jan. 2026
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For instance, people, a French loanword, may be spelled peple, pepill, poeple, or poepul.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Modernism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernism. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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