modernist
modernist Lexical Profile
modernist Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or characteristic of modernism, or adhering to modern ideas, styles, and trends.
"The city center features several striking modernist buildings designed in the mid-twentieth century."
• noun
An artist, writer, or architect who practices or advocates modernism, characterized by a deliberate break from classical and traditional forms in favor of experimentation.
"As a pioneering literary modernist, she experimented with stream-of-consciousness narrative techniques."
A supporter or follower of modern ideas, methods, practices, or theological reforms.
"The debate pitted strict traditionalists against modernists who favored reforming the institution's curriculum."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'modern' simply describes anything belonging to the present or recent times, 'modernist' specifically refers to the late 19th- and 20th-century cultural, artistic, and architectural movement known as modernism.
• Rhymes for modernist
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 16th century from 'modern' (from Late Latin 'modernus', derived from 'modo' meaning 'just now') plus the agentive suffix '-ist'; the specific artistic sense emerged in the early 20th century.