as in progressive
being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques
a very avant-garde artist whose works wouldn't even be considered art by many traditionalists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in vanguard
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts
to the theater world's avant-garde, the melodrama seemed like a very old-fashioned play whose time had come and gone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of avant-garde
Jon Burlingame, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
The nude, floor-length frock hinted at old Hollywood, perhaps a nod to mom Janet Leigh, but with the avant-garde touch of exterior boning in the corset.
—Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Serpenti Aeterna reveals a new jeweled, avant-garde take on the Maison’s iconic reptile.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Adjective
Active in avant-garde music on the European music scene, Bertelmann frequently employs prepared piano and electronics.
—Jon Burlingame, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
The nude, floor-length frock hinted at old Hollywood, perhaps a nod to mom Janet Leigh, but with the avant-garde touch of exterior boning in the corset.
—Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
Noun
No look has to be permanent, and with 2025’s most popular looks leaning into avant-garde classics, taking your hair to a new height is this season’s most palpable trends.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Serpenti Aeterna reveals a new jeweled, avant-garde take on the Maison’s iconic reptile.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant-garde
Adjective
-
Alon-Lee Green, the founding co-director of Standing Together, a progressive grassroots movement, told CNN that young people aren’t at fault for the extremist attitudes that are dividing wider Israeli society.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
-
California voters further reversed progressive policies by passing Proposition 36, which enhances penalties for theft and drug offenses.—
Carson Becker,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Writer-director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, out December 25, aims to lead the latest in the fang-banging vanguard.—
Angela Watercutter,
WIRED,
25 Dec. 2024
-
Katy Perry 39, received this year's video vanguard award and treated viewers to a medley of her biggest hits — plus, presumably, material from her upcoming 143 album.—
Jack Irvin,
Peoplemag,
12 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
The next era focuses on cracking the code for personalization, advanced marketing assets, and empathetic conversational AI. Computational Medicine.—
Maribel Lopez,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
With fancy lights and advanced algorithms, the Derma-Reader analyzes skin across several categories, including wrinkles, dark circles and texture.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The city this month began drilling at Del Prado Park, the first of several sites being explored to find safe, potable water underground.—
Kyle Martin,
The Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2025
-
In the ever-evolving cyber underground, ransomware extortionists have grown to become perhaps the most sophisticated and formidable threat.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The mill embraces the beauty of imperfection and asymmetry in Chaos Aesthetics, a trend concept that favors expressive textures, unconventional finishes and rich tactile experiences.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The generational gap in honesty found in the survey comes amid a broader trend of unconventional job-search behaviors among younger candidates, including ghosting employers and abandoning the hiring process midway.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The collection Olsen’s gown hails from was rife with avant, flowing takes on bows, whether at the shoulders of pastel dresses or at the hips of drop waist dresses or tailored jackets.—
Marissa Muller,
WWD,
22 Feb. 2025
-
The gentle, squishy textures of those loops, along with the work of avant jazz harp player Zeena Parkins, make for the strangely appropriate sonic backdrop of some of Björk’s most intimate and erotic songs.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
That Seguin came back is one of those modern medical marvels, but he can’t be expected to carry too much.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Despite the awkward journey to this match, Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton created a babyface vs. heel dynamic that is hard to come by given how jaded modern wrestling fans have become.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And even now, contemporary artists like Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa have embraced the disco beat.—
Alice George,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Bad People is Moss’ attempt to reassert house music as a site of radical acceptance and escapism, albeit without the shallow positive vibes of contemporary dance populists.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avant-garde. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share