ˌä-ˌvän(t)-ˈgärd 
ˌa-;
ə-ˈvänt-ˌgärd;
ˌa-ˌvōⁿ-ˈgärd,
ˌa-ˌvȯn(t)-ˈgärd
: an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts
the avant-garde in the film industry
: of or relating to an avant-garde
avant-garde writers
an avant-garde filmmaker
Examples of avant-garde in a Sentence
Noun
to the theater world's avant-garde, the melodrama seemed like a very old-fashioned play whose time had come and gone
Adjective
a very avant-garde artist whose works wouldn't even be considered art by many traditionalists
Recent Examples on the Web
Alastair Shuttleworth, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
The city is internationally recognized as a crucible for the art form, from Louis Armstrong’s presence here in the 1920s to the influence of the South Side’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the international avant-garde.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Will Fenstermaker, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Long a collectors’ holy grail, this searching, atmospheric soundtrack recorded for Chicago’s Adler Planetarium in 1993 mixes spiritual jazz with avant-garde pan-Africanism.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
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Noun
Alan Vega continues Suicide’s interest in minimalist instrumentation and linear structures, but trades Rev’s avant-garde electronics for Hawk’s more digestible, Eddie Cochran-esque guitar.
—Alastair Shuttleworth, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
The city is internationally recognized as a crucible for the art form, from Louis Armstrong’s presence here in the 1920s to the influence of the South Side’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the international avant-garde.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Aitken traces the building’s guiding spirit through downtown’s uncanonized cultural lineage — along Alameda Street and to venues like LACE and Al’s Bar — where artists merged music and film in loft takeovers and avant-garde installations.
—Will Fenstermaker, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Long a collectors’ holy grail, this searching, atmospheric soundtrack recorded for Chicago’s Adler Planetarium in 1993 mixes spiritual jazz with avant-garde pan-Africanism.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Cite this Entry
“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avant-garde. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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