state of the art

noun phrase

: the level of development (as of a device, procedure, process, technique, or science) reached at any particular time usually as a result of modern methods

state-of-the-art

ˈstāt-əv-ṯẖē-ˈärt 

adjective

Examples of state of the art in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the technology used by air traffic controllers is not exactly state of the art. — Tony Aiello, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Rather than solely blaming the state of the art market, Glimcher largely blamed himself. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 9 June 2026

The current state of the art is that scientists identify naturally occurring targets on or in tumor cells (proteins, enzymes, receptors) and build drugs to hit them. — Cyriac Roeding, Time, 20 Apr. 2026

First, since no one actually knows the future, guessing, speculating, or simply making things up remains the state of the art for almost everyone involved in describing it. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 8 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for state of the art

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart