Meaning & use
modernism
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Meanings
noununcountable
A style and movement in art, architecture, and writing from roughly 1890 to 1960 that rejected old traditions in favor of new forms and plain design.
Grammar: Uncountable; often capitalized when it names the historical movement.
Patterns
- early modernism
- modernism in something
Modernism changed the look of buildings with glass, steel, and no ornament.
She wrote her thesis on modernism in poetry.
Picasso is often linked to modernism.
nouncountable or uncountable
A way of thinking or a feature of a work that is new, up-to-date, and breaks with the past.
Grammar: Less specific; the plural 'modernisms' is rare.
Patterns
- a modernism
Some people dislike the modernism of the new library.
The designer added a touch of modernism to the old cottage.
Her taste leans toward modernism.
noununcountablereligion
A reform movement within a religion that tries to bring traditional teaching into line with modern knowledge.
Grammar: Often applied to Christian theology around 1900.
Patterns
- religious modernism
The Church condemned modernism in 1907.
He was accused of modernism by his bishop.
Modernism in theology tried to reconcile faith with science.
Common combinations
- high modernism
- The tower is a masterpiece of high modernism.
- literary modernism
- Literary modernism produced new ways of telling stories.
- architectural modernism
- Architectural modernism favored clean lines.
- early modernism
- Early modernism shocked the art world.
- reject modernism
- Some architects chose to reject modernism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- modernity
- Modernity names the condition of being modern, whereas modernism is a specific artistic movement.
- avant-garde
- Avant-garde means any experimental art at its time, but modernism is a defined historical period.
- contemporary style
- Contemporary style means current fashion, not the early twentieth century movement.
Opposites
Word family
- modernist noun
- a follower of the movement
- modernist adjective
- in the style of the movement
- modernize verb
- to make something up to date
- postmodernism noun
- the movement that followed and questioned modernism
Commonly confused: modernism or modernity?
modernism vs modernity
Modernity is the state of being modern in society, while modernism is a movement in the arts.
Practice
Which of these is most closely linked with modernism in architecture?
Choose one answer.
Modernist architects rejected decoration and favored glass, steel, and clean lines. The other options belong to older traditions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “modernism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.