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
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The shoe, by Maison Margiela, is one of the French avant-garde label’s most recognizable styles.
—Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Will Ellis, Curbed, 6 Jan. 2026
Danyul Brown proved that Sunday evening, when KPop Demon Hunters star Audrey Nuna turned up at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards in perhaps the night’s most avant-garde look, a sculptural black dress from the spring 2025 collection designed by Marc Jacobs.
—Laurie Brookins, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
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Noun
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.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The shoe, by Maison Margiela, is one of the French avant-garde label’s most recognizable styles.
—Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The proximity to Lincoln Center was an obvious draw for musicians, and renters included an avant-garde composer on the sixth floor, a bassist on the fourth, and an opera teacher on the ground level.
—Will Ellis, Curbed, 6 Jan. 2026
Danyul Brown proved that Sunday evening, when KPop Demon Hunters star Audrey Nuna turned up at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards in perhaps the night’s most avant-garde look, a sculptural black dress from the spring 2025 collection designed by Marc Jacobs.
—Laurie Brookins, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 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 14 Jan. 2026.
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