Meaning & use

modernism

noun·Academic

A movement in art, architecture, and literature that deliberately broke from traditional styles in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

See it in a sentence

The professor's lecture traced how modernism rejected ornate Victorian styles in favor of simplicity.

The city's skyline still reflects the clean lines and glass facades typical of modernism.

A note on using this word

Modernism refers to this specific historical artistic movement, not simply anything that seems new or contemporary.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

traditionalism

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