avant-garde

1 of 2

noun

ˌä-ˌvän(t)-ˈgärd How to pronounce avant-garde (audio)
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
avant-gardism noun
avant-gardist noun

avant-garde

2 of 2

adjective

: 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
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.
Noun
Former classrooms have been reborn as elegant, high-ceilinged guest rooms, dressed in soft, gauzy tones and adorned with artwork (most from the postwar avant-garde Cobra movement) culled from owner Alex Mulder’s private collection. Siobhan Reid, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2025 Originally manufactured by Italian furniture house Edra, the piece, which is no longer in production, has become an icon in avant-garde furniture design. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Here, rainbow streets lead to its iconic blue church while inside Skaftfell Art Center—avant-garde installations marry steaming bowls of plokkfiskur in the café. Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025 Originally manufactured by Italian furniture house Edra, the piece, which is no longer in production, has become an icon in avant-garde furniture design. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avant-garde

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

French, vanguard

First Known Use

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of avant-garde was in 1849

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avant-garde. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.

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