modernism
gb/mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/ us/mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
formal
C1
abstract
1
early 20th-century arts movement
Modernism is an art movement that tried new styles and rejected old traditions.
Usage pattern:
[Modernism] in [art/literature/music/architecture]
Common mistake:
Often confused with modernization (making something more modern) or modernity (the state of being modern).
Synonyms
the modernist movement (A common label for the same historical movement.)
|
modernist art (Refers specifically to the art produced within Modernism.)
Antonyms
traditionalism (Emphasis on preserving traditional styles and values rather than breaking from them.)
|
classicism (Preference for classical forms and conventions over experimental ones.)
Collocations
the Modernism movement
|early Modernism
|European Modernism
|Modernism in literature
|Modernism in art
|Modernism in architecture
|Modernist writers
|Modernist painters
|a Modernist aesthetic
|the rise of Modernism
Themes
art
|literature
|history
|culture
Examples
- Modernism reshaped European literature and painting in the early twentieth century.
- Her thesis compares Modernism and realism in the novel.
- The museum’s new wing focuses on Modernism, from Picasso to Kandinsky.
Learner examples
- I studied Modernism in my art class.
- Modernism changed the way artists worked.
Noun
formal
C1
abstract
2
modernist style or approach
Modernism is a modern, experimental style, especially in art or design.
Usage pattern:
the modernism of [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners may use modernism when they mean modern (an adjective) or modernity (a broader social condition).
Synonyms
modernist style (A direct description of the same idea, often used when focusing on visual appearance.)
|
avant-garde (Broader term for experimental, boundary-pushing art; not limited to the Modernist period.)
Antonyms
conservatism (Preference for established forms and resistance to change, especially in art or ideas.)
|
historicism (Design approach that imitates historical styles rather than pursuing modernist innovation.)
Collocations
a strain of modernism
|a touch of modernism
|modernism in design
|modernism in poetry
|urban modernism
|industrial modernism
|the modernism of the building
|modernism and minimalism
|a commitment to modernism
|modernism as an aesthetic
Themes
art
|design
|culture
Examples
- The apartment’s clean lines and open plan show the influence of modernism.
- Critics praised the novel’s modernism, but some readers found it difficult.
- The designer blended modernism with warmer, more traditional materials.
Learner examples
- This building shows modernism in its design.
Noun
formal
C2
abstract
3
religious movement reinterpreting doctrine
Religious Modernism tries to explain religion using modern ideas and scholarship.
Usage pattern:
Modernism in [a religion/church]
Common mistake:
Often mistaken for secularism; Modernism here is about reforming interpretation, not rejecting religion.
Synonyms
modernist theology (Focuses specifically on theological methods and ideas associated with religious Modernism.)
|
religious reform movement (More general; not all reform movements are specifically Modernist.)
Antonyms
fundamentalism (Insists on strict, literal, or traditional interpretations and rejects many modern critical approaches.)
|
orthodoxy (Emphasizes adherence to established doctrine rather than reinterpretation.)
Collocations
religious Modernism
|Catholic Modernism
|Modernism controversy
|the condemnation of Modernism
|Modernism in theology
|Modernist theology
|anti-Modernism
|the Modernist crisis
|a Modernist reading of scripture
|Modernism and biblical criticism
Themes
religion
|history
|philosophy
Examples
- In the early twentieth century, Catholic Modernism provoked fierce debate within the church.
- Some scholars link religious Modernism to the rise of historical criticism.
- He wrote about Modernism as an attempt to reconcile faith with modern science.
Grammar
Dictionary form
modernism
IPA
GB/mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
US/mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
Syllables & stress
mod - ern - ism (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (mod)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: modernism
- Plural: modernism, modernisms
Word family
Forms
modernisms
noun
Core family
Related words
modernity
noun C1
Advanced or less common
postmodern
adjective C1
postmodernism
noun
Expressions
architectural modernism
1/ˌɑɹkɪtˈɛkt͡ʃɚəl mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
formal
Modernism in building design
Architectural modernism is a simple, functional style of building.
Examples
- The city center is known for its architectural modernism of the 1960s.
- Architectural modernism often favors concrete, glass, and steel.
high modernism
1/hˈaɪ mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
formal
most experimental Modernist phase
High modernism is a very experimental kind of Modernism.
Examples
- Joyce is often cited as a central figure of high modernism.
- The course focuses on high modernism and its break with Victorian realism.
late modernism
1/lˈeɪt mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
formal
later development of Modernism
Late modernism is Modernism in a later period.
Examples
- Some critics describe the novel as late modernism rather than postmodernism.
- Late modernism kept Modernist techniques but responded to a changed political world.
literary modernism
1/lˈɪtɚˌɛɹi mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
formal
Modernism in literature
Literary modernism is Modernism in novels and poetry.
Examples
- The lecture introduced key techniques of literary modernism.
- Woolf and Eliot are major voices in literary modernism.
religious modernism
1/ɹɪlˈɪd͡ʒəs mˈɑdɚnˌɪzəm/
fixed phrase
formal
modern approach to religion
Religious modernism uses modern ideas to explain religious beliefs.
Examples
- Religious modernism tried to bridge the gap between faith and modern science.
- The book traces religious modernism across different denominations.