noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M AA1 D ER0 N IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Modern or contemporary ideas, thought, practices, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Anything that is characteristic of modernity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A religious movement in the early 20th century, condemned as heretical by Pope Pius X, which tried to reconcile Roman Catholic dogma with modern science and philosophy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
practices typical of contemporary life or thought
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: practice, pattern
6
noun
Meaning 6
genre of art and literature that makes a self-conscious break with previous genres
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: genre
7
noun
Meaning 7
the quality of being current or of the present
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a shopping mall would instill a spirit of modernity into this village
Etymology tree English modern Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English modernism From modern + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Asturian:
modernismu
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Belarusian:
мадэрні́зм
(madernízm)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Catalan:
modernisme
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Chinese Mandarin:
現代主義 /现代主义
(xiàndàizhǔyì)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Chinese Mandarin:
現代派 /现代派
(xiàndàipài)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Dutch:
modernisme
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Finnish:
modernismi
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
French:
modernisme
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Galician:
modernismo
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
German:
Modernismus
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Greek:
νεωτερισμός
(neoterismós)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Hindi:
आधुनिकतावाद
(ādhuniktāvād)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Italian:
modernismo
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Japanese:
モダニズム
(modanizumu)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Malayalam:
ആധുനികത
(ādhunikata)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Māori:
angahoutanga
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Norman:
modèrnisme
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Norwegian Bokmål:
modernisme
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Norwegian Nynorsk:
modernisme
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Polish:
modernizm
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Portuguese:
modernismo
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Russian:
модерни́зм
(modɛrnízm)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Spanish:
modernismo
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Ukrainian:
модерні́зм
(modernízm)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
Yiddish:
מאָדערניזם
(modernizm)
— any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century
