mod•ern•ismˈmɒd ərˌnɪz əm(n.)

1. modern character, tendencies, or values.

2. a modern usage or characteristic.

3. (cap.) the movement in Roman Catholic thought that interpreted the teachings of the Church in the light of modern philosophic and scientific thought. the liberal theological tendency in 20th-century Protestantism.

   Category: Religion

4. (sometimes cap.) estrangement or divergence from the past in the arts and literature occurring esp. in the course of the 20th century and taking form in any of various innovative movements and styles.

   Category: Music and Dance, Literature, Fine Arts

Origin of modernism:

1730–40

mod`ern•is′tic(adj.)