n.
Pronunciation: ' mä-d ə r- ˌ ni-z ə m
Function: noun
Date: 1737
1 : a practice, usage, or expression peculiar to modern times
2 often capitalized : a tendency in theology to accommodate traditional religious teaching to contemporary thought and especially to devalue supernatural elements
3 : modern artistic or literary philosophy and practice especially : a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression
– mod · ern · ist \ -nist \ noun or adjective
– mod · ern · is · tic \ ˌ mä-d ə r- ' nis-tik \ adjective