VANGUARD Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

vanguard

noun

ˈvan-ˌgärd

Definition of vanguard

as in pioneer

the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts a style of jazz that the vanguard quickly recognized as new and exciting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in forefront

the leading or most important part of a movement talk radio is often regarded as being in the vanguard of the conservative movement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 vanguard Linklater was a vanguard of the indie film movement of the 1990s. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026 If experimental and vanguard poetry is set on fragmenting the lyric I, verse plays and poet’s theater redistribute it. — Literary Hub, 29 May 2026 Most notably, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab or CSAIL, directed capably by my colleague Daniela Rus, is in there, where intrepid teams work on such vanguard projects as liquid AI models. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026 Now entering its third year, Athlos is among a new vanguard of professional track and field events aimed at modernizing the sport for the streaming era and growing its audience in non-Olympic years. — Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for vanguard

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vanguard

Noun

In reality, decades of land abuse and exploitation left behind a scarred terrain uniquely prepared for the arrival of kudzu as a fast-growing pioneer plant.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
The early quantum pioneers didn’t realize — at first — that the arcane math that strikingly captured the conduct of atoms had left the real world behind.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of pioneer

Noun

Lord’s has not been at the forefront of very much in recent times.

— Ben Jones Aug. 26, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
The move, officials say, gives the mission more heft and eases collaboration with the Navy and Air Force, which are at the forefront of the administration’s campaigns.

— Megan Rose, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of forefront

Noun

One was an overview of the resort revealing its waterfront crystalline castle nestled next to lush greenery and avant-garde attractions.

— Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Combining archival and original footage, and blurring the categories of documentary essay and the poetic avant-garde, Pelechian’s visionary works revolve around a grand recurring theme of humankind’s tumultuous relationship to the natural world.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of avant-garde

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vandals

vanguard

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“Vanguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vanguard. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of vanguard

noun

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