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
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025
What is Yoko Ono most known for? Ono is best known for her avant-garde art, which, at the time, pushed boundaries and challenged traditional ideas of what art could be.
—Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 16 Nov. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Nov. 2025
Kraus had pioneered her own Semiotext(e) series, Native Agents, publishing experimental autobiographical fiction by women in her downtown orbit, but her career as an avant-garde filmmaker was going nowhere.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
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Noun
Colicchio left in the mid-aughts, making way for Michael Anthony to arrive from Blue Hill and create not a daring, avant-garde menu but one where great dishes come from sourcing excellent product and combining it with flawless execution.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025
What is Yoko Ono most known for? Ono is best known for her avant-garde art, which, at the time, pushed boundaries and challenged traditional ideas of what art could be.
—Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 16 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Across six decades and roles in more than 200 films and television series, Kier became an icon of the audacious, the experimental, and the avant-garde.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Nov. 2025
Kraus had pioneered her own Semiotext(e) series, Native Agents, publishing experimental autobiographical fiction by women in her downtown orbit, but her career as an avant-garde filmmaker was going nowhere.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
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 26 Nov. 2025.
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